


The Guardian Saga: Twilight Falls

by Stormsworder



Series: The Guardian Saga [1]
Category: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The Legend of Zelda
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Original Character(s), POV Original Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-25
Updated: 2009-11-25
Packaged: 2017-12-15 06:27:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 67,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/846346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stormsworder/pseuds/Stormsworder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>TP-era, slight AU. When Twilight invades the realm of Hyrule, a family of royal knights are twisted and malformed by Zant's dark magic. It falls to her to muster courage to face the darkness and save her only family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Children of a Royal Knight

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually an ooooold fanfic, back from the year 2009. The reason why I put this up first, despite the age, is because this is actually first in a series of three fanfics for this "Guardian Saga" as I call it. The writing might be cringe-worthy compared to my skill now, but it is pretty much setting up for the rest of my little series. Hope it's not too terrible to read! Xx;

The sun shined down warmly overhead on the courtyard of Hyrule Castle, a gentle breeze flowing through the towering spires on the beautiful spring day. The clashing of metal against metal filled the air, the source being two young men sparring against each other. Off to the side stood another young man with a girl in her early teens, the two watching the fighters. All of them were Hylians, their ears pointed and elven-like, and them men were clad in the armor of Hylian knights without the helmets. Each of them carried their own, unique weapon compared to the typical lances used by most of the knights. The eldest brother carried a long, two-handed sword with silver edges while the flat of the blade was dark grey on both sides. Embedded in the hilt was a clear crystal that sparkled in the sunlight. The young man himself was tall and handsome, his brown-hair messy and unkempt, clear blue eyes carrying a focused look while he wore a smirk on his face. He was Cale, firstborn son of the commander of the Royal Knights and an accomplished swordsman.

The one he sparred against was heavier built and muscular, the strongest of the three sons. He had short black hair somewhat slicked back, his green eyes sparkling with humor even as he struggled to land a blow on the quick-footed Cale. The warrior was swinging an ornate gold-and-silver colored axe with a crystal embedded below the axe head with ease, despite the fact it was of considerable size. Rurik, the second oldest, was known for his considerable strength but rather short temper, as was evident by the fact he was starting to get just a little annoyed at his brother's speed.

Of the two spectators, the youth with the somewhat long black hair was the older one, the third son of the commander. He observed the match intently with narrowed green eyes, leaning somewhat on his silver-colored lance, a crystal just below the spearhead. He was well known as a strategist in the kingdom, having developed battle strategies in war games beginning at the young age of fifteen. Each of the three brothers was a year apart in age, the oldest being twenty-three, and they were infamous throughout the kingdom as soon-to-be royal knights and incredible fighters.

The youngest there was a girl of fourteen, sitting cross-legged in the grass, bright-eyed and excited as she watched the two spar. A plain iron sword rested in her lap, the girl wearing a simple long-sleeved white shirt and brown cloth pants. Her beautiful sapphire eyes were filled with wonder and admiration for her brothers, brown hair with a few blonde streaks tied back behind her head. Despite her tomboyish appearance, Danielle was actually a noble and the youngest child of Commander Greil. The only problem was that she always skipped out on her nobility lessons, much to the ire of both her father and her teacher. She had a fascination with swords and battle and detested the proper manners and etiquette of the stiff upper class. Due to that, her reputation among the nobility had taken a major decline, most of them viewing her as a rebellious child. So, Danielle had no friends among the noble children, prompting her to spend even more time with her brothers.

Above them, on a balcony overlooking the courtyard, stood the twenty-four-year-old ruler of Hyrule herself, Princess Zelda. Sapphire blue eyes gazed down at the sparring Hylians, her long brown hair streaked heavily with blond, an ornate golden headdress on her forehead with a single blue crystal set in the middle. Gold, ornately-designed shoulder guards were connected across her chest by a golden "necklace" of sorts with a single red gem in the middle with three blue crystals on either side. The top part of her dress was amethyst in color, with the bottom part of it white and bearing the crest of the royal family on the front with intricate designs in light grey around the bottom. White gloves covered both hands completely all the way up to the shoulder guards, her hands gently gripping the banister. A faint smile was on her face even as she heard the slight clanking of armor behind her. "Milady," a deep voice rumbling softly.

"Please rise, Commander," she spoke, not even glancing back at him. He rose and joined her at the banister, leaning on it slightly as he stared down at his sons. Commander Greil was much taller than her at six feet, his bulky and powerful frame made even larger by his heavy navy blue and gold trimmer armor. His tan hair was cut somewhat close to his head, emerald eyes hardened from countless battles and the war ten years previously he had fought in. "I see your sons are as skilled as ever," she commented.

"Yes… although my daughter is shirking her studies," Greil murmured dryly, his eyes flickering down to the young girl. "She's more interested in sword fighting than her duties as a noble."

Zelda's faint smile grew ever so slightly. Contrary to her protector, she enjoyed seeing the child pursuing something that truly interested her, although she did somewhat agree that Danielle shouldn't completely avoid her lessons. "I understand your desire to protect your daughter from harm, Commander Greil, but you can't always force your daughter to do what you wish for her to do. Even I am not fond of acting noble-like all the time."

Greil's eyes flickered somewhat, a frown appearing on his face. "I am aware of that, milady… but I do not want my only daughter placing herself in harm's way."

Closing her eyes, Zelda let out a soft sigh. "If she wishes to choose the path of a fighter, then she is undoubtedly aware of the dangers before her. That is what fighters are trained for. If you continue to try and force her away from that path, then you will do nothing more than push your own daughter away from you. Encourage her and guide her gently before it's too late and you lose your daughter."

Greil didn't reply for several seconds, and the princess opened her eyes to see him shocked but contemplative of her words. Finally, his shoulders slumped. "I believe I understand… Thank you, Princess." He placed his right fist on his heart, arm horizontal across his chest as he stepped back and bowed to her. "I must return to my duties. Farewell, milady." He turned away, striding off without another word.

Zelda smiled faintly once more, continuing to observe the siblings with renewed interest. Cale had won his match against Rurik, leaving the axe wielder to take on Blaine. Her gaze drifted to Cale himself, the young Hylian leaning over his younger sister, placing her hands around the hilt to teach her different ways of holding the blade.

_Following in the footsteps of her brothers… She will one day make a great swordswoman… but she will have to wade through a river of mud to get there._

The princess's smile slowly faded now, her blue eyes locking onto Danielle. Looking at that young, smiling girl, she saw flickering images in her mind, snatches of the hardships she would endure that would strip her of her innocence. She frowned, closing her eyes as she pushed the premonitions to the back of her mind and turned away. She had her own duties to attend to, so she couldn't continue to watch Greil's children today. Zelda opened her eyes and looked back one last time, her expression one of sadness and concern. Sighing softly, the princess walked off, leaving to return to her duties.

\---------------------------------------

Danielle held the iron sword in two hands, standing in front of Cale in the defensive stance he had taught her, the sword right in front of her and held diagonally from her body. Even though her sword was smaller than those that the soldiers used, it was still heavy for someone of her small stature. Cale stood a few feet from her, the longsword Durandal gripped tightly in both hands. She nodded to her brother, who grinned and sprinted forward. As his blade came down vertically, Danielle brought the flat of her sword up to block. The clang of metal striking metal filled the courtyard, the jolt of the blow rattling the very bones in her arm.

"Bad move!" Cale shouted, stepping back and kicking up at the sword. Still hurting from the jolt, Danielle couldn't even hold onto her blade, which flew high into the air before landing with a soft thud on the grass. In an instant, Durandal was placed to her neck, the steel cold against her warm flesh. Danielle stared down at the blade with wide eyes. In two strikes he had managed to disarm her. "You're not all that strong and you tried to block my hit? With your small size, you need to focus more on dodging hits than blocking them." He lowered his sword, Danielle relaxing somewhat now while panting for air, a light sheen of sweat on her face. "If you face an opponent larger than you, don't try to risk everything by on attempting to block him."

Danielle sighed softly, managing to catch her breath now as she nodded up at him, the cold steel against her neck vanishing as Cale pulled his blade away and sheathed it. "Okay, I'll remember that next time." She crouched down to pick up her sword, arms still feeling sore from exertion. While wiping the sweat from her forehead, she looked towards the setting sun that cast an orange hue on everything. It was getting late now, approaching time for dinner. "When I get older, I'm going to be better than even you, Cale!" Danielle spoke with a grin, turning her eyes towards her eldest brother.

He laughed heartily, blue eyes glinting with humor. "Is that so? Well, I'm looking forward to facing you on that day, then!"

Danielle smiled brightly at him as Rurik and Blaine joined them, Rurik patting his younger brother on the back with a slight grin on his face. Rurik had barely won his bout with Blaine, and he was definitely going to be bragging about his victory. All four of them headed for the wooden doors to the castle, Cale's hand on his little sister's head as they walked, the young man ruffling his sister's hair a bit. "So, see you at dinner?" Danielle questioned, looking up at her brothers with that smile on her face even though it was an unnecessary question to ask. Of course she would see her brothers at dinner. They always sat together.

"Of course. See you in a bit!" Danielle nodded to her brothers, watching them as they headed down the hall to their quarters before proceeding in the opposite direction to her own chamber. Since her mother had died not long after she was born, she didn't share a room with anyone once she had turned twelve. She used to sleep in her father's room, but Danielle had grown tired of him constantly nagging her to take her nobility lessons seriously.

Pushing open the door to her room, her blue eyes flickered about it as she placed her sword point-down and leaning against her dresser. Her gaze now fell upon the portrait in the room as it often did, the young girl stepping towards it a bit to look up at it. Her father told her that it was a painting of the former queen of Hyrule, who had passed away due to the same sickness that had taken the lives of her mother and several others within the castle and market.

 _She was beautiful…_ Danielle thought, examining the features of the woman with long, brown hair streaked blond with gentle blue eyes.  _I can only imagine what she was like in real life… Father said she was such a kind and caring person, that everyone in the kingdom had loved her dearly and was shocked when she passed away so suddenly… The king died not long afterwards of a broken heart, and Princess Zelda took the throne at a young age…_

Danielle sighed now, turning her gaze away as she focused now on changing for dinner. She cleaned her face with a damp rag, wiping most of the grime and sweat from her face and around her neck. As tomboyish as ever, she merely changed into a cleaner and not-so-tattered white shirt, despite the fact it would probably raise her father's ire to see the young girl dressed so informally at dinner. In all honesty she despised wearing dresses, preferring something more comfortable.

She headed towards the door to her room, stopping to glance once more at the portrait of the queen hanging on her wall. Her gaze lingered on the queen's face before she finally turned away, walking out of her room and heading for the dining hall.


	2. The Arrangement

Supper in the spacious dining hall was as normal as it was on any other evening. Rurik was boisterous and nosy as ever, laughing and drinking from his goblet while bragging to his fellow knights how he had finally managed to beat Blaine and would eventually best even Cale. Blaine and Cale ignored him as usual, instead turning their attention to Danielle. Cale was trying to do his best to explain different fighting strategies while Blaine amended them to take into account Danielle's young age and inexperience.

As Cale sat back in his chair while discussing the best way to swiftly avoid and best attack a slow but powerful opponent, Danielle glanced past him to see their father, Greil, staring at her thoughtfully. She felt somewhat surprised, figuring that he would be looking irritated about her skipping her nobility lessons for nearly a week. Instead he seemed pensive, almost apologetic as his gaze met hers. Danielle paused for a second before tearing her gaze away, focusing instead on finishing her meal while pushing her wonderings about what her father was thinking to the back of her mind. Suddenly, as soon as she set her fork down, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder, startling her. She looked down to see a slender, white-gloved hand there. To her right, Blaine had also seen the hand and glanced back, his expression changing from one of thoughtfulness to one of great surprise. Danielle slowly turned her head to the right to look over her shoulder, but she could only make out part of an elegant dress. Whoever was standing there was directly behind her. Blaine, who was able to see just who it was, stammered somewhat just loud enough for the other children to hear. "P-Princess Zelda?"

Upon hearing her name, Cale bolted upright in his chair, nearly losing his balance while Rurik choked on his drink, spewing it back into his goblet. "I have not interrupted anything important, have I?" the Princess questioned from behind Danielle as Cale shifted in his seat and Rurik wiped at his face with a white cloth. Blaine managed to compose himself the quickest, shaking his head while answering with a quiet no. "Good. If I may, I need to speak with your sister in private. I will send her up to her chamber afterwards."

Cale looked at Danielle in confusion and curiosity, his gaze asking her if she knew what the princess wanted. She merely shook her head in reply. She hadn't the slightest clue why the princess would wish to pull her away from dinner to speak with her in private.

_Although I know she watched over me when I was little… and she still does somewhat now, I don't even know what she wants, either. I'm that noble child everyone looks down upon, so why does Zelda, the ruler of Hyrule, continue to treat me like her closest friend?_

Danielle rose from her chair slowly, still feeling Zelda's hand upon her shoulder as the princess gripped it gently. The young girl's eyes locked with those of her oldest brother, who nodded slightly to her even as he looked at her in confusion. Zelda now guided her out of the dining hall through a side door, walking down the hallway at a slow pace. The moonlight filtered in through the windows, softly illuminating the corridor and the paintings that hung on the walls, glinting off the suits of armor that stood there. The dull chatter of the castle residents in the hall slowly died away, the hallway falling silent with the exception of their soft footsteps on the carpet. Danielle didn't speak up, the silence making her feel somewhat awkward as they walked on. As her gaze flickered up to the princess, Zelda guided her over to one of the windows, not looking at her or speaking. She just gazed out of the window, which Danielle was too short to be able to see much out of, staring at the moonlit towers in the distance.

When Zelda finally spoke, it was in a soft voice as she looked down at Danielle. "Your father has told me of you skipping your lessons. It is causing quite a bit of worry to him."

Danielle couldn't help but frown somewhat. Did Zelda really pull her aside just to talk about a matter like this? "He tries to force it on me and forbids me to learn how to fight with a sword. I want to be a fighter, not a noblewoman."

"I'm aware of that. I agree that your father should not try to stop your training in something you have dedicated your heart to." Danielle snapped her head up in surprise towards Zelda, but the princess continued to gaze out the window. "However, I cannot allow you to continue to shirk your nobility lessons. Once I speak with your father, you will take them under my direction."

Danielle couldn't help but stare at Zelda in utter shock while turning to face her slightly. "M-Milady… you? But you are the princess of the entire kingdom, and I'm just the rebellious noble child everyone looks down upon, a noble in the castle…"

"Yes, but you are a noble  _of_ the castle." Zelda knelt down now so that she was face-to-face with Danielle, taking her gently by the shoulders and turning her to face the princess. Danielle hesitated, looking up into her eyes. She had such a kind and loving gaze, much like the portrait of her mother. It was no wonder that the people of Hyrule dearly loved their ruler, even if she had not yet taken the official position as queen yet. "Hyrule had prospered for so long because it is established on a society, and you and I are part of that society. We each have a role to play, no matter how much we may detest that role."

"I… I understand," Danielle murmured quietly, lowering her head somewhat as she continued. "But the other nobles despise me, want nothing to do with me because of how I act and what I am passionate about. That very society has turned me away."

"The other nobles see only what is on the outside. In time, they will come to know and understand who you truly are inside." She placed one of her gloved hands beneath Danielle's chin, gently lifting up her head so that Danielle's sapphire eyes met her own. "In times such as these, we must hold our heads highest. We must remain strong and persevere through the hardships that we face." She smiled softly, placing her hand against the right side of Danielle's face now. "You are a strong young girl, Danielle. Hold your head high and face your trials head-on. And as for why I would take interest in you and heading your nobility lessons… I do it because you and I are not all that different. When I was but a child, I was not fond of my princess lessons, but I endured them because being a princess was my duty. If I had abandoned them as you did your nobility lessons, the kingdom would have fallen into disorder and chaos when my father passed away. Your assignment as a noble is also important. After all, it takes many to keep the society together… but just one has the power to bring it all crashing down."

Danielle mulled over Zelda's words in her mind. Was her role as a noble really that important? Maybe the princess was right, though. Maybe it was time for her to try and at least take the lessons seriously, especially if Zelda herself had taken to being Danielle's teacher just for her. "Mm…" Her eyes flickered as she nodded just slightly, Zelda's smile widening. She stroked Danielle's cheek gently, the glove soft against her skin before the princess pulled her hand away. Now she pulled out a small necklace, a circular medallion on it with the emblem of the Royal Family, the sacred Triforce above a soaring eagle, in the middle of the medallion. The emblem and outer rim of the medallion was pure gold, the rest consisting of silver. Unlatching the clasp, Zelda reached behind her neck and placed the necklace on her, the medallion cool against her skin. "Uh, Princess…" she murmured as she looked down at it. The necklace was beautiful, the work of a master craftsman, and yet for some reason it seemed familiar.

"This belonged to my mother, the queen of Hyrule. She gave it to me before she passed away, and it has been my most precious possession." Zelda smiled once more, gazing at the necklace as she rested her gloved hand on it. "I wish for you to have it."

Danielle stared at her in shock, her sapphire eyes growing wide. "But milady, this is yours! I can't possibly take something that the queen had passed on to her only daughter, especially when it's something of such importance to you!"

The princess took Danielle's right hand with her own gloved hands as she slowly shook her head, still smiling. "I have watched you as you've grown and matured into a fine and strong-willed girl. I know how difficult in can be at this point in your life, when it sometimes feels as if the entire world is against you. Let this necklace be a constant reminder of what I have told you, and cherish it was much as I did. And please, do not refuse this gift that I have given you from the bottom of my heart."

Danielle brought up her left hand to touch the medallion, feeling the hot sting of tears in her eyes brought on from the kindness Zelda had shown, but she fought back the urge to cry before the princess. "Milady… thank you," she whispered. "How can I ever repay you for this though…?"

"You need not try to repay me, Danielle," Zelda replied in a soft voice, rising to her feet now. "Come, I shall escort you to your room. By now, most everyone will have returned to their quarters, and I wish to discuss with you the arrangement of your lessons." Lowering her hands, the princess motioned for her to follow as she traveled down the corridor, heading towards Danielle's quarters in another section of the castle.

Danielle would meet Princess Zelda in one of the rooms typically used for meetings with her advisors and bring her training sword with her. For several hours she would have to study with pauses for whenever Zelda had to attend to her duties as a princess. This would be compensated by harder lessons and studying along with more time devoted to the lessons in general. Afterwards, if there was any time left during the day and her brothers weren't busy, she would train with them in combat. It would be a rough schedule, but she had no other choice with the Princess of Hyrule heading the lessons.

Standing before the door of her room, Danielle reached her hand up and grasped the medallion around her neck. "Thank you, Princess," Danielle murmured quietly, staring up at Zelda.

With a gentle smile, Zelda bowed her head slightly and opened the door to Danielle's quarters. The teen entered in, a bit surprised when the Princess walked in after her. "Go ahead and prepare for bed. I wish to see this portrait of my mother."

Danielle noticed her gazing up at the painting, deciding not to bother her as she took up her nightgown and walked behind the wooden partition in her chamber. When she stepped back out a few minutes later, her white nightgown reaching down to her ankles, she saw Zelda still gazing at the painting with a look of longing in her eyes. "Er, milady?"

Princess Zelda turned her head somewhat, smiling sadly. "Forgive me. I was lost in my memories."

Danielle could see the shimmer of tears in her eyes before the princess turned away, starting for the door. "Princess, you miss her greatly, don't you?" she questioned, even though she knew the answer to that just from the look that had been on Zelda's face.

Zelda stopped, not looking back while lowering her head. "Yes, I do. Even though it's been fourteen years, I still wish she was here." She turned her head somewhat, looking at Danielle out of the corner of her eye. "And when I look at you… for some reason, I am reminded of her."

Danielle hesitated, an expression of confusion and surprise crossing her face. She reminded Zelda of the former queen? She glanced up at the portrait, touching the necklace she wore around her neck. "Mm… I'm sorry, Prin—" she stopped as she looked back towards Zelda, only to see that she had already slipped silently out of the room. Hand still on the necklace, Danielle stood there alone, the moonlight softly illuminating her room.


	3. First Lesson

The day seemed to wear on forever for Danielle as she endured her lessons under Zelda's tutelage. Although nowhere near as boring and condescending as her former teacher, Zelda was strict as could be, scolding Danielle when her mind began to wander while she stared out the window and challenging her in her lessons to keep her mind sharp and focused, the lessons she learned remaining fresh in her mind.

The scratching of her writing on paper filled the silent room, her brow furrowed as she focused on what she wrote. The princess stood over her, reading what she wrote over her shoulder without expression. Apparently, Zelda didn't care much about the fact that she was making Danielle anxious with her over-the-shoulder reading. If anything, the princess was probably finding this humorous as Danielle occasionally glanced at Zelda out of the corner of her eye.

"That's enough," Zelda spoke suddenly, startling Danielle and causing her to leave a black gash of ink across her paper. Danielle had no time to react before Zelda snatched up her work, her eyes scanning it intently. "Not bad, but you will need to improve. I don't believe a random splotch of ink across a letter would impress a recipient."

Danielle couldn't help but cringe. Princess Zelda had pushed her so hard that she was getting tired of studying so much. "I doubt they would have to deal with a time limit and a person watching over their shoulder," she muttered under her breath as Princess Zelda slowly walked to the front of the room.

"What was that?" Zelda questioned, making Danielle bolt upright in her seat. She had looked back at Danielle, one slender eyebrow raised. "Would you care to repeat what you said under your breath for me to hear?"

"N-No, milady… It was nothing." She felt her heart pound in her chest, not keen on saying aloud what she had muttered. That would definitely end up giving her even more work, not to mention the princess wouldn't be too happy about her words.

"As I thought." Zelda stopped at a table at the front of the room, setting the paper down on the white cloth that covered the table. "Now, as I was about to say… despite your careless mistake, your mind is very sharp, although I noticed that you have quite the problem focusing and paying attention. Your mind wanders often."

Danielle just sighed a bit, shaking her head. With how dull the lessons were to her, she couldn't help but daydream about anything but her work. "Yes, milady. I'm well aware of that. My former teacher punished me often for it."

"Hmph… punishing a child for having a curious and wandering mind…" She stood with her back to Danielle, lifting up the cloth on the table, messing with something that Danielle couldn't see. "Take up your sword and join me. I wish to show you something."

Danielle rose to her feet, the chair scraping the stone floor somewhat as she grabbed the hilt of her iron sword from where it rested on the table. As she went to join Zelda at the table, she couldn't help but wonder once more why all the other tables in the room had been pushed against the wall, leaving a large space in the middle. Maybe it was a tactic designed to intimidate Danielle. If that was the case, then it was working. "What is it, Princess?"

Zelda lifted something up from the table, Danielle managing to catch a glint of metal before the princess was spinning to face Danielle, silver flashing in the sunlight. A sharp pain slashed across the right side of her cheek, Danielle stumbling back while shooting up her hand to grab at her cheek. Zelda stood there with a regal sword pointing towards her, the thin blade and polished, its ornately designed hilt gold in color. At its tip, a small bit of red dripped slowly to the ground. Danielle pulled her hand away from her face, her fingers stained slightly red from the cut on her cheek.

To say she was surprised was an understatement. There before her stood the monarch of Hyrule, the princess holding a royal blade mere centimeters from her face. The princess even wore a slight smirk on her face as a shocked expression crossed Danielle's own. "Why so surprised?" Zelda questioned humorously. "Did you not expect a princess to know how to wield a blade?"

"Uh… er… in all honesty, not quite," Danielle mumbled, feeling something trickling slowly down her cheek as she gripped her sword loosely, feeling numb with shock.

Chuckling somewhat, Zelda pulled her sword away and stepped back. "I can tell." She stood up straight, her smile fading away into a more serious look. "I have decided to also take it upon myself to train you," she spoke, lowering her sword to her side now. "I am skilled with a blade myself, and since your brothers are busy with their own training to become royal knights, I will train you in their place."

Danielle blinked slowly, standing there without moving. The princess was going to train her? She had never even heard of Princess Zelda being a skilled fighter before, so she was she perhaps jesting about this? "Princess… you are not serious about this, are you?"

"I am very much serious," Zelda replied without hesitation, her expression never once changing. "Now, since you are aware of my intentions, perhaps you should prepare yourself to fight instead of standing there looking dumbfounded, hm?"

Danielle snapped out of her dazed state as she saw Zelda raise the blade once more, the young teen gripping her sword with both hands and lifting it up. As soon as she did, Zelda rushed in with surprising agility despite her dress, blade darting towards Danielle's right side. The teen moved quickly, bringing up her sword and placing her left hand against the flat of it to block the quick strike. The shock that jolted her arms wasn't as bad as it could be, but before she could try to shove Zelda's blade away, the princess slid past her. Sharp pain sliced through her back as Zelda's sword cut shallowly into her skin, Danielle stumbling forward a bit. She went to turn and swing with her blade when a sharp blow to the back of her kneecaps sent her crashing to her knees, Zelda's gloved arm wrapping around her forehead and pulling her head back as her sword went to Danielle's throat. "I believe I have won this match," she spoke, humor in her voice.

Danielle knelt there in stunned disbelief, amazed at Zelda's superior skill. Everyone in the castle knew of Zelda's tomboyish nature as she had grown up, and it would occasionally be displayed even know when she was older. But to be such an amazing swordswoman without anyone having the slightest clue? It was nearly unheard of for a princess to even take up a sword, let alone be so skilled with it. "Princess, you… how in the world did you…" Danielle couldn't even form a coherent sentence right now in her still-stunned state, blue eyes wide.

She heard a slight chuckle from behind her as the blade was lowered and her head released, Danielle immediately rubbing at her neck to make sure it hadn't been cut by the blade that had been pressed against it. Raising her head, she saw Zelda standing before her once more, the princess offering a gloved hand to her, a slight smile on her face. Danielle slowly reached up her own hand to take Zelda's, the princess grasping it tightly before she was pulled up to her feet. "Didn't expect me to know how to fight, hm?" she questioned, a glint of humor and amusement in her eyes. "The look on your face says it all."

Danielle just shook her head, her sword still held down by her side. "Honestly? No, I didn't, milady." She stood up straight now, turning her sword to where its point rested on the floor, her hand loosely gripping the pommel. Taking a deep breath, she continued on. "You are even quicker than both Cale and Blaine, and from what I can tell about your skill from just that short spar, they may exceed even that of my oldest brother."

"And, with time and training, you will be able to match me blow for blow," Zelda spoke, lowering her sword to the same position as what Danielle's was in, both of her hands atop the pommel. "Now, seeing as how that little fight is over, do you agree to be taught the ways of sword fighting under me? Seeing as how you are now willing to take your nobility lessons seriously, I have decided that this training is a proper reward for such behavior." Before Danielle could answer, Zelda raised one slender finger and cut her off. "However, you must keep in mind that I will not hold back as your brothers do. I am aware of how young you are and the limitations you have, but if you are to become a skilled fighter at such an age, you must be pushed beyond those very limits. Are you still willing to carry through with this?" The question was asked in a somewhat challenging and taunting tone, Zelda smirking just slightly.

Danielle couldn't help but take Zelda's bait upon hearing the tone of her voice, her eyes narrowing as she nodded sharply, a focused look in her eyes. "Not meaning any disrespect, but I do not fear whatever difficult training you put me through, Princess."

A slight smirk crossed the princess's face at this, Zelda taking a step back to put some space between herself and her student. She raised her sword to point it once more at Danielle, her own sapphire blue eyes narrowing. "If that is what you truly believe… then come! Show me your determination."

Danielle pulled up her sword, gripping the hilt with both hands and renewed strength, rushing forward as she jumped into the air, bringing her sword down at Zelda even as the princess brought up her blade to block. The real training had begun.

\--------------------------

Night had fallen as Danielle returned to her bedroom after a long day of both studying and training. She dropped her blade tip-first to the floor almost as soon as she stepped through the door, feeling thoroughly exhausted and eager to get some rest. During the entire time she had washed up and eaten dinner, she was struggling not to fall asleep. Princess Zelda hadn't been lying when she said that the training would be difficult. She brought up a hand to touch the still-healing cut to her face, cringing somewhat at the slight stinging pain in both it and her back where Zelda had struck her during the first spar. In addition to those cuts, she felt incredibly sore in all of her muscles and could barely move, managing to reach her bed and collapsing forward onto it. Welts and bruises pretty much covered her body it felt like, throbbing in pain along with the stinging of her cuts. Now that she was lying on the bed, her body was at the point that it refused to move in the slightest.

 _She_ really  _wasn't kidding about it being rough… and this was just the first lesson! By the end of the week I doubt I'm going to be able to move for an entire day at this rate!_

She groaned slightly, forcing her body to move as she rolled over onto her back, bed sheets cool against her still-warm skin, hair just a bit damp and cooling the back of her neck a bit. The moon was somewhat visible in the distance, the night sky clear to reveal the stars that shone overhead.

_These lessons are only going to get more difficult in time… but I refuse to give up. Although I despise the nobility lessons, I will endure them in order to be trained. I'm not going to let anything stand in my way of becoming a better fighter… and when I do get better, I'll show father that I can handle myself just fine._

Danielle sighed softly, closing her eyes while resting her arm on her forehead, her thoughts beginning to drift as she grew too tired to focus on one particular thing. Yeah, she was tired from the long day and dreaded how she would feel come tomorrow, but she was also excited about her training. She had the princess herself supporting her desire to become a fighter, something even her father wouldn't try to protest against.

Smiling faintly as she slowly began to doze off, she pictured the reaction that would be on her father's face when she had grown and become better than even her brothers. She had no idea of what was to come…


	4. The Fall of Hyrule Castle

Danielle had finished her lessons as fast as she could the next day, although her mind was continuously wandering while she worked. Finishing them in what seemed like record time to the young girl, she sat up straight and looked up towards her mentor, seeing Zelda smirking in satisfaction as if she had expected this sudden and unusual behavior from Danielle. "You seem more eager than usual to finish your studies today, despite the fact you have always complained about how much you despise these lessons," Zelda commented, taking up the parchment she had been writing on. "Of course, I am sure the only reason you did so was to get to your sword training faster."

Not even bothering to hide it, the young noble grinned and nodded. "I won't deny that, Princess." Zelda put aside the parchment once she was satisfied with what she read, motioning for Danielle to rise while taking up her royal blade from the table. She stood up from the chair, reaching for her own sword when Zelda's smirk fell away and her head tilted just slightly to the side. Confused, Danielle was about to ask what was wrong when she heard shouting coming from the corridor. A knight suddenly burst through the door, startling her and causing her to jump a bit. "Ah…?"

"Princess! The castle is under attack!" the knight cried, Zelda's eyes narrowing as soon as she heard these words. "These dark beasts have stormed the castle and overrun our defenses! We must get you to safety, milady!"

Zelda frowned, turning her gaze now to Danielle. There was worry and anxiety in her eyes as she wrapped her gloved hand tightly around her regal blade. "Danielle, remain here and hide," she spoke calmly. "You should be safe here…" Turning around, the princess headed out of the door with the knight who had entered the room, the heavy wooden door shutting behind her.

Danielle stood in stunned silence, confused as she tried to make sense of what was going on. The castle was under attack? But by who? Who was strong enough to overwhelm the well-trained knights so quickly? And that knight had mentioned dark beasts, so did that mean mere monsters were coordinated enough to take the castle with such speed? Hesitating, Danielle now focused on listening to the sounds of battle outside the room while taking up her sword. The cries of pain from injured knights reached her ears, along with something else. It was a dark and inhuman sound that made her skin crawl.

Taking a step back from the door, Danielle raised her sword with both hands just as something slammed into the door with crushing force, rattling it in its frame. She cringed, something hitting the door again with even more force, the wood beginning to splinter and crack. With the third blow the door flew open, revealing a nightmarish beast stepping slowly through the doorway on its hands and feet. It was vaguely humanoid in shape, its skin dark grey with strange black patterns all across its body. Its hands were large with long, strong fingers, its body muscular with a strange magenta pattern on the front and back of its torso. Its head bore a flat headdress of sorts, no eyes visible behind it, long black tendrils extending from the back of the head-dressing while shorter ones hung down from below it. Despite lacking any visible eyes, the beast turned its head towards her, slowly approaching.

Fear held her heart in its icy grip, Danielle backing away until she hit the wall behind her, the young noble trembling so much that her sword's blade quivered in her grip. It stopped just in front of her, tilting its head somewhat like it was examining her before one of its powerful hands shot forward with shocking speed, wrapping around her neck. Gasping, Danielle tried to pull the hand away as it slowly began to crush her throat, its head mere inches from her face. The beast peered at her intently, as if it was interested in watching her die, Danielle managing to raise her sword with her right hand while dizziness began to overcome her and her vision blurred. Baring her teeth, she drove the blade down at its neck, the tip piercing deep into its dark flesh. The beast let out an inhuman cry of pain as it released her and collapsed to the ground, Danielle falling back against the wall behind her as she rubbed at her throat with a trembling hand, her face pale. She had come so close to death at the hands of this inhuman monster, and it had scared her out of her wits. Taking a shaky breath, she nudged at its body somewhat with her shoe to see if it was really dead.

Without warning, the shadow beast's body exploded into strange, square-shaped black particles that turned sharply a few times before vanishing into thin air, leaving no trace of the creature behind. Gasping and struggling to catch her breath, she stared in confusion at where the monster had fallen. Just what was that thing? A frown spread across her face, the young girl lifting her head to gaze at the broken-down door. It was no longer save in here, especially if more of those things were around the castle.

"They'll be in the throne room," she murmured, thoughts drifting to her family. "The rest of the castle is probably overrun by now. Father and the others will be making their stand there." Her blue eyes flickered somewhat as she swallowed hard, that fear never letting up its grip on her heart. She wanted to run and hide, but she knew it would be pointless. There was nowhere in the castle that would be safe except for with her family, some of the best fighters in Hyrule. Getting to the throne room would be the problem. These beasts were powerful and terrifying, and the thought of running into more of them made her skin crawl. She had been lucky to kill the one that had attacked her, but if she had the misfortune to encounter another one that wasn't so keen on watching her die…

Heart pounding painfully hard in her chest, the trembling young noble wrapped both hands tightly around her sword's leather hilt, steeling herself for whatever awaited her on the path to the throne room as she stepped out into the darkened hallway.

\--------------------------

Greil held his massive greatsword by his side, wielding it with one hand despite its weight. The last few knights who had been able to reach the throne room stood in different spots within it, their weapons at the ready, determined to protect the princess they had sworn their lives to. His own sons were positioned close to him, Cale to his left and Rurik and Blaine to his right. Cale stood in his usual defensive stance, knees bent and longsword held horizontally with its hilt back near his head, eyes narrowed dangerously as he gazed at the entryway. Rurik wore a slight scowl on his face, axe resting on his right shoulder as he kept his body just slightly tensed up, a light sheen of sweat covering his face. Blaine, despite being the more relaxed-looking of the two with his lance held loosely in his right hand, was actually the most alert as ha also stared at the doorway, his expression one of focused thoughtfulness. A few of them, Greil himself included, had actually fought the strange "Shadow Beasts" that had invaded the castle and cut a swath through the knights with such inferior numbers. The rest had managed to rush to the throne room as soon as the alert was given that Princess Zelda had retreated there, avoiding the fighting for the most part.

_My daughter is still somewhere down below, in the castle with those monsters overrunning everything… Goddesses, please… protect my daughter… I cannot bear to lose her, not when I cannot do a single thing to protect her…_

His emerald eyes narrowed now, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. A dark cloud suddenly poured in through the entryway, Greil and his knights immediately preparing to fight as the Shadow Beasts charged in. The knights closer to the entry had no time to react to the sudden surge of enemies, the beasts slamming them aside with ease. Greil scowled as one leapt through the air at him, aiming to land on the commander, but he swung Exaccus through the air. The deadly sharp blade cleaved through its dark flesh, the beast crashing to the ground behind him. But even as he looked up, dread filled him upon seeing that most of the other knights had already fallen, the beasts holding several of the Hylians by their heads and necks. Quick glances to either side showed that his sons hadn't been attacked yet, still holding their ground with a handful of knights.

Someone strode into the throne room flanked by two larger than normal Shadow Beasts, with silver head-dressings, strange black designs on them with two thin metal "horns" rising from the top, the tendrils present on the other monsters absent from these. The figure itself was very tall and clad in pitch-black robes with teal patterns covering it, the sleeves running down past its hands and hiding them. Across its chest and shoulders was curiously designed grey armor with a single crimson gem in the middle. The most disturbing feature of all was a tall metal helmet shaped in the likeness of some outlandish, terrifying demon. The figure was unarmed, striding down the carpet with a gait that expressed it was not intimidated by the knights.

Greil growled in anger, still determined to protect the princess at any cost. He brought up his sword and bent at the knees, preparing to charge even as the intruder stopped before them. With a roar, Greil rushed forward, just as a sphere of strange red energy and black particles formed in front of the figure's chest. He was about to swing the greatsword and take the invader's life with a single mighty blow when that energy shot forward in the form of a thin red beam, slamming into his chest and piercing through his armor. White hot pain sliced through his chest, the air rushing from his lungs while the mighty knight crashed to his knees at the figure's feet with a clatter of metal hitting stone. He was barely aware of someone shouting his name, Exaccus slipping from his hand to the floor. Greil placed a gauntleted hand to his chest in a daze, pulling it away and seeing his black glove slick with blood.

Three knights rushed by him in a charge at the invader, everything around him seeming to move in slow motion. Even his mind seemed to work slower than usual, as it took him a second to realize it was his own sons making one last desperate charge. The figure didn't even raise its hands again, dark energy slamming into his sons and sending them flying backwards, their weapons clattering to the floor as they fell still. Without even lifting a hand, the invader had defeated some of the strongest knights in Hyrule.

The figure turned its gaze towards Princess Zelda now, one of the Shadow Beasts by its side approaching the heavily injured Greil. He glared defiantly at it, each breath coming in ragged gasps, his face pale and blood covering his armor. The creature wrapped its hand around his entire skull, darkness filling his vision now. He couldn't see anything, but he could hear that dark invader beginning to speak.

"It is time for you to choose: surrender or die." The figure's voice sounded strange and inhuman, distorted even further by the helmet it wore. Upon hearing these words, Greil felt his skin crawl, dizziness assaulting his senses from the loss of blood he had endured so far. "Oh yes, a question for all the land and people of Hyrule… Life? Or death!?"

As the figure spoke these words, the entire room fell deathly still. It seemed to him even the struggling knights had fallen silent. No one spoke a single word, and it was several seconds before a single sound rang out through the air: the clatter of a blade dropping to the floor. Princess Zelda had surrendered.

\--------------------------

Danielle ran up the winding steps to the tower, the stairs destroyed in several parts, revealing deep drops into the darkness below. Fallen guards littered the area at the top of the steps, evidence that a vicious battle had taken place here, a battle that the knights of Hyrule had lost despite their best efforts. Her stomach twisted into knots as she swallowed, trying to avoid looking at the fallen guards and making her way to the large door that was the exit outside. Upon stepping through, she found herself outside of the castle just below the throne room on the tower. Black smoke rose from the fires around the castle, the air unusually still, not a sound reaching her ears other than the fierce pounding of her heart. Her eyes flickered back over her shoulder to the top of the castle where the throne room resided, the young girl charging up the steps as she held her sword in a hand that had gone numb. She rushed into the throne room, only to skid to a halt on the red carpet with a gasp of surprise and fear. Several of the dark beasts filled the throne room, many of them holding struggling soldiers, ready to end their lives at a moment's notice.

Among those captive soldiers was her father, his face hidden from sight by the massive black hand wrapped around his head. The blood on his armor glistened in the dim sunlight that filtered into the throne room, and she could see her brothers pinned to the ground beneath the monsters, their struggles to get free weak and futile. The fear that gripped her young heart was overcome by anger at the sight of her father and brothers injured and at the mercy of the Shadow Beasts. She had always looked up to them, thought them to be undefeatable in combat, and to see them like this made fury overcome her judgment. Not even thinking, Danielle ran forward towards the one who had to be the mastermind behind this whole invasion, the black-robed man with the evil-looking helmet, shooting him a furious glare as she raised her blade to strike.


	5. The Invasion of Twilight

Princess Zelda had hated being forced to surrender to the invaders, the action leaving bitterness in her heart. She couldn't and she wouldn't sacrifice the lives of her people just to defy this dark invader. Even if it meant Hyrule had to live under this evil man's rule, at least her people would still be alive.

_And a hero will be able to save us._

She wore a frown on her face as she gazed coolly at the helmeted figure, her frown deepening as she saw who had just entered the throne room seemingly unnoticed by the Shadow Beasts. Immediately she recognized the person who stood there, her heart skipping a beat within her chest.

_No, Danielle! Don't!_

It was too late, as Danielle had rushed forward to attack robed man. One of the two large Shadow Beasts that served as his personal guard reacted quickly, its large hand wrapping around the back of her head before slamming her painfully hard into the ground, her momentum being added to the force of its shove. Zelda flinched inwardly as she heard Danielle's scream of pain, sorrow tearing at her heart even as she tried to do her best to hide it. The man looked back somewhat, seeing Danielle there with her face pressed down against the stone floor. "So, one still tries to resist, even after Hyrule has surrendered? And a child no less?" the man questioned sinisterly. The Shadow Beast lifted Danielle's head up slightly, revealing her terrified and pained expression as blood ran down her forehead and pale face. "Kill her."

"No, stop!" Zelda cried as the creature began to crush her skull, Danielle's screams filling the air once more. The man turned his head towards Zelda, the princess stepping forward. "Please, you are already victorious. Any more violence and bloodshed is unnecessary."

The figure paused, that eerie mask sending shivers up her spine, but Zelda hid any expression of fear. "Hmph. Fine. I will spare this whelp from death. However…" The skies outside began to darken, an unnatural twilight beginning to fall across the land. "This one… and the four who tried to oppose me… I have a special fate in store for them." The Shadow Beast now lifted Danielle from the floor with ease, the young girl trembling in fear.

Princess Zelda could only stand by and watch as the twilight entered the throne room. The knights that it touched became nothing more than spirits with the exception of Commander Greil and his children. As it reached her, she glanced to the sides and watched as the two knights who stood on either side of her also vanished and were transformed into spirits while Zelda herself remained normal. "Mm…"

The robed man raised his hands, which were out of sight beneath his long sleeves. As he did, the same energy he had used to attack Greil and his sons with began to crackle about their bodies, darkness forming along their armor and corrupting it, changing it into something else. The corrupted armor became black as pitch and cruel-looking, their skin paling considerably and their eyes dimming. When the Shadow Beasts released them, the knights rose to their feet with blank expressions. Greil turned to face Zelda, his injury and the damaged armor now recovered. This time she couldn't help but flinch, realizing that the very magic this man had used to attack them with had corrupted their spirits and bent them to his will.

An icy hand gripped her heart as she now turned her gaze to Danielle, seeing the expression of pure terror upon her face. There was nothing she could do to help the terrified child as the man turned to face her. "And as for you… an ignorant child who dares try to face me… Let us see what kind of beast the Twilight will turn you into to serve me…" He raised a hand, placing it over her chest just as Zelda felt a powerful darkness coming from him.

Danielle cried out in pain, squirming within the Shadow Beast's grip as her body began to change, her eyes shut tight. As Zelda watched, the young girl was twisted and transformed into a weak, frail-looking dragon. Her skin was replaced by scales that were dark and light grey in strange patterns, a curious mark upon her forehead. Small in size, her limbs were spindly compared to what one would expect when seeing a dragon. Her small wings were folded behind her back, her sapphire blue eyes opening for just a second before they rolled back in her skull, the transformed girl losing consciousness from the pain she endured.

"Pathetic," the man muttered. "What a useless whelp, even now. Take the princess and lock her in one of the towers along with this useless beast. Make sure she is chained and unable to escape." The Shadow Beast that held Danielle turned, beginning to leave the throne room, dragging her carelessly along the ground by her neck as another approached Zelda.

_Forgive me, my people… for bringing this dark fate upon you._

\--------------------------

Danielle awoke to a world of hurt, every part of her body pounding in pain, especially her head. She felt weak and groggy as she grunted, struggling to force open her heavy eyelids.

_My body… why does it feel so different? Nothing feels right…_

As she finally opened her eyes, she saw that everything was covered in a strange, somewhat golden light much like when the sun would set in the evening, but different. It was like an eternal twilight had fallen over the world, and it permeated even the inside of the room.

Danielle tried to rise to her feet now, but she was too weak to even stand, not to mention a metal shackle was around her neck, keeping her chained to a rough metal loop in the floor that had apparently been put in very recently. She went to grab at the chain, only to see a scaly claw on the metal instead of a human hand. She cried out in surprise, but heard something inhuman escaping from her mouth.

_No… it can't be..._

Feeling numb now, she slowly raised both of her hands to examine them, seeing that they were now scale-covered claws instead of normal human hands. Danielle arched her neck now to look at the rest of her body, finding it more flexible than before, and saw the body of a dragon as her own. She opened her wings a bit and whipped her tail about, her eyes filled with both confusion and fear. Despite a body that was completely alien to her, every movement she made with her tail and wings felt like second nature to her.

_What… what happened to me? Did that man with the helmet do this?_

She shivered somewhat, lying down on the stone floor and curling up slightly as her eyes flickered about the room now. It was a bedroom, one at the top of one of the many castle towers if she remembered correctly, but she couldn't tell exactly which one. It seemed like she was alone for now.

_Father… Cale, Rurik, and Blaine… where are they at?_

Danielle couldn't help but whimper in fear as she laid there on the cold floor, shutting her eyes to try to get the image of the man with the evil-looking helmet out of her mind while fighting off the pounding headache that assaulted her injured forehead. She didn't even want to touch the spot where the throbbing was the most intense for fear of making it worse. Despite being in a situation with so many unknowns and the grip of fear tight on her, the exhaustion and pain she felt overcame everything else. What seemed like only a few seconds of having her eyes closed ended up being even longer as she dozed off, her dreams filled with strange shadows that had no light to be created by.

"Danielle… Danielle… Danielle…" a familiar voice whispered, reaching her even in her heavy sleep. "Danielle, please… please wake up…"

Wincing, she felt a gloved hand resting gently on her forehead, a strange warmth flowing through her and easing the pain that she felt. The voice was comforting, but in her dazed state she couldn't immediately recall its owner as she slowly forced open her eyes. A figure clad in a black robe with a purple section of it hiding her mouth and part of her nose was kneeling there, blue eyes peering out from the shadows of the cloak's hood. "Danielle… you're finally awake. I was worried."

Danielle blinked slowly, looking up slightly at the person, a woman, as she took pulled her white-gloved hand away and took up a damp cloth. As soon as she removed her hand, the warmth in her body vanished and the dull pain in her head increased. The woman pressed the cloth gently to her forehead, pain shooting through it and causing her to flinch and try to pull back, but the woman used her other hand to hold Danielle's head in place. "I know it hurts, but I must tend to the injury. The Shadow Beasts were not gentle in their treatment of you."

_Who is this…? I… I can't remember the name… and my head hurts so much… what happened? I can remember charging at that man… but beyond that…_

"You cannot remember who I am, Danielle? Perhaps they did slam your head into the ground harder than I thought." Danielle's eyes widened, her draconic face in an expression of surprise as she finally realized that it was Princess Zelda that she was trapped in the chamber with. Not only that, but somehow the princess had heard her thoughts. She tried to rise to her feet, only to collapse from pain and weakness. "Don't move," Zelda advised, placing her head once more on Danielle's head, that strange warmth spreading through her. "I know you are wondering how I was aware of your thoughts… It is part of a sacred power I was chosen to bear. When Zant, that dark man who invaded the castle, brought the Twilight into this world, he used his forbidden magic to turn you and your family into beings touched by the Twilight, retaining your physical bodies instead of becoming spirits like the rest of our people." She lifted her head somewhat, turning her gaze towards the window of the chamber, a look of sadness in her eyes.

_Uh…? Sacred power? Twilight?_

The princess shook her head slightly, continuing on now instead of answering Danielle's questions. "Your father and brothers were clad in cursed dark armor, infused with Zant's evil magic. They now serve Zant, following his every command as cruel, heartless soldiers. And you, Danielle… you were meant to be changed into a terrible beast by the Twilight, but Zant's plans did not work out quite as he expected them to. Zant thus deemed you feeble and useless as a servant and imprisoned you here in this tower with me."

Danielle listened silently now as she finished her explanation of what had happened, what seemed like a hundred questions running through her mind. How was she supposed to reverse this curse? Could her family be freed? Was there anyone who could stand up to Zant? She at least knew now why she was in this form. It had to be because she had tried to attack that man with the strange helmet, the one called Zant.

_Zant,_ she thought, a hint of anger rising up within her.  _Now my family serves him…_

Princess Zelda nodded her head slightly, taking up a wooden bowl filled with water. "While the situation may be hopeless, all is not lost." She turned her head back to look at Danielle, removing her hand from her forehead and using it to lift her draconic head up. With her other hand she placed the bowl to Danielle's mouth, allowing her to drink from it and wet her parched mouth while Zelda continued to speak. "A hero will come to free this land from the Twilight, I have seen it. A man who is blessed by the goddesses will soon come to lift the veil of Twilight from Hyrule and strike down the darkness. But there is something else I have seen… A vision concerning you."

Danielle finished drinking the water, lifting her gaze to Zelda's face as she grew both curious and confused. A vision about her? "I saw you carrying an ancient sword that has been passed down through the Royal Family, dark storm clouds rolling above you as four shadows swirl about you to engulf you. I cannot say the true meaning behind this vision, but this I know." She closed her eyes, setting down the bowl. "That sword is the Champion Blade, one of the sacred treasures of this land. Legends say that long ago, the sword was blessed by the ancient sages and used to seal away six powerful demons who tore apart the land. The one who used it was an ancestor of the Royal Family, and as such, the blade was passed down through it. My father presented it to me before his death, and I have kept it safe since then." As she opened her eyes once more, they locked with Danielle's. "I know you are young and frightened, but you must escape from this castle. You must aid the chosen hero of the goddesses and restore light to Hyrule. The Champion Blade is still safe for now, and you will find it when the time is right. You will be the one to free Commander Greil and his sons from Zant's dark magic."

_Me? But… My family has sworn to protect you, milady. I cannot just leave you._ The thought of abandoning Zelda and leaving the princess alone in the castle with those creatures controlling it was something she did not even want to consider, even if she couldn't do much to protect the princess in her current state.

She could tell Zelda smiled gently behind her cloak. "Danielle, please… for me." What the princess did next completely caught Danielle off guard. Zelda wrapped both of her arms around the transformed young girl, embracing her. "I know you can be so much better. You were always a fighter, you were always tough, for as long as I've known you. It's time for you to be free now, Danielle. No more nobility, no more castle… nothing holding you back. It's just you and your dreams… You have to live for them. Make them into reality."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, the more I read through this as I repost it to get my brain in the mood for writing the second fic, the more I'm just going "Wow, I wrote like THAT in my senior year of high school?" >>; Ah yes, the painful nostalgia of old works read-throughs.


	6. Beginning of an Adventure

Zelda's words hung in the air, Danielle trying to comprehend all of what the princess had just said. Before her waited that which she had always dreamed of: her own life without having to follow the rules of nobility and her father's orders, a chance to do what she wanted and follow her dreams of becoming a fighter. But despite the fact that the chance of a lifetime awaited her, she was also intimidated by the unknown.  _Princess, I'm… I'm not sure about this. I mean, I don't think I'm strong enough to do this. I am still learning to fight, so how do you expect me to do all this?_

The princess smiled gently. "That is why I believe you are ready for this. You have long desired to become a fighter, and now is your chance, as I'm sure you are aware." She let her arms slowly slide away and rose to her feet, gazing down at Danielle. "It is natural to be afraid with such a daunting task before you, but no one starts out on a journey completely prepared for every possible difficulty. Learning and becoming stronger to overcome challenges is part of growing up. Many now depend on you, Danielle. Hyrule needs your help if it is to be freed from darkness. Not only that, but you are the only one who can rescue your family now. You carry the power to do so inside of you, but it is up to you to unleash that power."

Danielle's eyes flickered as her words slowly sunk in, her uneasiness ebbing away. The only one who could save them? She loved her family dearly, and the thought of them relying on her filled her with determination to do all she could to help.  _If that is the case… then I will not let anything stop me. I will do everything possible to save both them and Hyrule. I have to. I can't let that man control my family. But how will I get out of here…?_

Princess Zelda smiled, nodding just slightly as she turned her gaze towards the door. "I know of someone who can help you with that. She may be unwilling at first, but I believe I can convince her." Danielle lifted her head up, a curious expression on her face as she wondered who could possibly be the one who would help. But as she gazed at the princess, she saw a sorrowful expression in Zelda's eyes. The princess turned her head slightly, meeting Danielle's gaze with her own as she seemed to fight to hide the emotions that shone through her eyes. It was as if she fought to be as strong as she could for Danielle. "For now, rest. You must recover your strength before she arrives." As she spoke, Danielle could still see the regret and worry in her eyes, as if something was gnawing at her heart, some deep sorrow. The princess quickly turned her gaze away, leaving Danielle staring at the back of her hood in confusion as Zelda stared once more out of the window. What was the princess hiding? Why did she carry such sorrow in her eyes?

Letting out a slight sigh now, she lowered her head to rest it on her folded forearms, the pain of the injury making her cringe once again. As she closed her eyes, she felt Zelda's hand gently touching her forehead once again before sleep overcame her, Danielle slipping into a dreamless doze.

\--------------------------

"Midna, I have a favor to ask of you."

Before Zelda stood a curious-looking wolf the same color as Danielle's dragon form, its blue eyes unnatural but filled with kindness and determination. On its back rode an impish creature whose body was black and very light grey, wearing an unusual headdress that hid her entire forehead and covered her right eye, her left orangish-red and yellow in color. Her orange hair was tied back, her small arms covered in strange teal patterns. The imp gave a toothy grin, hopping into the air and floating in a sitting position. The princess had finished explaining to the wolf how the Twilight had fallen over her kingdom, and despite the fact that time was running short until the guard returned to make his rounds, she calmly continued on. "Heheh. The Twilight Princess asking a favor of little old me? I feel so honored!"

Zelda frowned slightly, but the expression wasn't visible. "This child was transformed by Zant himself and imprisoned here when she did not become a strong enough beast." She motioned to the still-sleeping Danielle, Midna turning her head sideways. "She is the one who the Champion Blade must be given to when she regains her human form."

"This little dragon?" Midna floated over to her, peering down with a look of dissatisfaction on her face. "I see why Zant threw her in here. She really does look weak. Are you sure she's the one you want that sword given to? I bet she can't even protect herself!" the imp scoffed.

"Midna!" Zelda snapped, growing irritated, a rare occurrence from her. The imp raised her head towards Zelda, looking surprised that the princess had raised her voice, but the expression quickly faded. "She has lost her family to Zant. They now serve him as dark warriors carrying out his orders. They will hunt you down tirelessly until they find you. Danielle may appear weak, but she has a strong will. She is the only one with the power to free her family from the darkness. That is why I want you to get her out of the castle before it is too late and Zant figures out just what her power is."

Zelda noticed Danielle beginning to stir as Midna hovered once more before the princess, the imp's arms folded as she frowned slightly, a thoughtful look on her face. "As much as I hate having to babysit… I guess I could keep an eye on her until she returns to normal, but wolfie and I have some work to do. When she's back to normal, don't count on me protecting her anymore." She turned her head slightly to the side, her eye locking onto the stirring Danielle. She grinned when she saw Danielle's eyes beginning to open. "Looks like your little pet's waking up, Princess."

Nodding slightly, Zelda brushed past Midna and the wolf, glancing down at the blue-eyed beast for just a second before turning her attention to Danielle, speaking her name softly while crouching before her. Danielle's eyes flickered open all the way now as she lifted her head just slightly, apparently still groggy. "It is time, Danielle. The one I told you about is here. She will help you escape from the castle and aid you in adapting to your new body."

Danielle turned her gaze to Midna, the imp taking her seat on the wolf's back once more.  _What… what is she? And what about you, Princess?_

"That will take much time to explain, time we do not have. I myself must remain here. I cannot leave the castle."

A confused expression crossed her draconic face while Midna just giggled in a child-like manner. "She's Zant's prisoner, you know. The only reason all those people still live is because he has her, the dear princess who chose Twilight over death." She grinned, one sharp tooth exposed. "If she left, Zant would kill the people he holds in Twilight until she surrenders herself once more. I guess she feels like she owes something to the people she handed over to Zant. I wonder how many of them know she's the reason all these monsters walk among them, tormenting them endlessly and—"

"Enough," Zelda spoke, cutting Midna off while never taking her gaze from Danielle, who seemed even more confused by all of this. "But I will not deny the truth of her words. I cannot leave lest my people suffer even more for my actions. Already they live unaware of the fact they have passed on into spirit forms and fear a nameless evil. I cannot bring more misfortune upon them. You must escape quickly and work to defeat Zant before whatever dark plans he has next come to fruition." She took Danielle's claw between both of her hands, giving it a gentle squeeze before lifting her head to gaze up to Midna and the wolf. "Now, you must leave before the guard makes his rounds." Lowering her hands, she rose to her feet and stepped back. "Midna?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it." She hopped to her feet on the wolf's back as she held up her hands. Orange energy flickered into existence before the imp let loose her magic, a small blast slamming into the chain and shattering one of the links. Danielle rose unsteadily to her feet, still slightly weak but not as bad as before, bringing up one claw to touch the shackle around her neck, gaze drifting over to her new companions. "So, Danielle, huh? We don't have all day, so let's go."

Danielle nodded, following Midna and the wolf as they exited through the door. She paused, looking back at Zelda, her sapphire eyes still filled with concern for her liege.

_I will be fine, Danielle. Don't worry. Wherever you are, I shall still be with you._

Zelda smiled gently, trying to encourage the transformed young girl. Finally, Danielle closed her eyes before looking forward, heading out of the room on all fours. The princess let out a soft sigh, turning to look out the window at the castle town.

"It is best she does not remain here… She needs to be as far away as possible to keep the Champion Blade out of Zant's hands." Zelda closed her eyes, lowering her head slightly as her thoughts drifted back to the vision she had told Danielle about. She couldn't bring herself to mention all of the details of it, especially the look of pain and exhaustion that had been in her eyes and the grievous wound she had carried.

_Be careful, Danielle… The kingdom cannot afford to have you and the sword in Zant's grasp, lest the darker details of my premonition will come true._

\--------------------------

Danielle soared over Hyrule Field, her wings flapping slowly as she flew towards Faron Province, torn between being irritated with Midna or being thankful. The imp had told her to fly alone to the woods while she "warped" the wolf to the Ordon Spring. At first Danielle thought her crazy for such a suggestion, since she had no idea how to even fly with this strange new body.

_Turns out that she was right. This body may not be human, but my actions with it feel like second nature, even flying._

Her blue eyes flickered down to the ground, dark creatures roaming the field and occasionally glancing up at her as her shadow raced along the ground. So many times had she stared out across the lush green fields of Hyrule, and to see it now covered in the dark cloud of Twilight made her heart sink.

_But it won't stay like this forever. We'll free Hyrule… and my family. I may not be the strongest out of my family, but… I won't fail them. I won't lose the ones I love forever to darkness._

The fields below gave way to dense trees now, a curtain of Twilight up ahead partitioning Ordon Province from the rest of the covered land. Danielle began to descend now, even as she heard a strange, mournful cry from somewhere within the province. Finding an opening in the dense trees was harder than she expected, but she finally found a spot and landed a bit roughly on the dirt path, folding her wings behind her.

The woods were completely silent, bathed in that eerie golden light. Not a single animal roamed about, but Danielle had the feeling something was hiding nearby, watching her every movement. No matter how hard she looked around, she couldn't see anything.

Shaking her head, Danielle slowly delved deeper into the forest, the echo of her claws hitting the ground filling the silent air as she searched for her new allies. It was time to free Faron Woods from the Twilight.


	7. Twilight's Curse

Danielle stalked forward slowly, crouched low to the ground, her blue eyes narrowed intently as she used her heightened senses to see the dark insect in front of her. It was the last Shadow Insect that carried one of the Tears of Light, the scattered power of the Spirit of Light Faron, which was essential in restoring the spirit and dispelling the veil of Twilight from Faron Province. She had worked alongside the wolf to track down each and every one of them, and this insect was the last to take out. She tensed up sharply before leaping forward to claw at it, only for it to try and dart away. That was when a dark shape shot in from the right, snatching the insect in its powerful jaws and shaking the creature viciously before tossing it aside, the insect's body exploding into dark particles and releasing the Tear of Light within it. The wolf lifted his head, Midna holding onto his fur tightly with a slightly annoyed look on her face. "You know, you can be a bit more careful about that in the future. I nearly fell off! Considering you're my servant, you should be more considerate of me."

Danielle resisted the urge to roll her eyes as the blue light joined the others within the Vessel of Tears that the weakened Faron has bestowed upon the wolf. Suddenly, she felt lightweight and strange as bright light filled her vision, the two now standing before the spring of Faron. The Twilight had vanished from the land, everything once more back to normal as Midna hovered before them in a shadowy form. "Aww, but it was so nice here in the Twilight… What's so great about a world of light, anyway?" She chuckled, grinning at them. "See you later!" Midna did a flip now, vanishing into the center of the spring as the stones behind it lit up with light blue patterns, a sphere of brilliant golden light rising into the air. A golden figure like that of a monkey appeared, wrapping its arms and legs around the sphere as its long tail circled it, reaching all the way behind its head.

_Amazing… this is the light spirit's true form!_

"My name is Faron," it spoke, its voice deep and sending shivers up her spine. "I am one of the spirits of light who dwell in Hyrule. I use the life force of the gods to protect this forest." The spirit turned its head slightly towards Link now. "O brave youth… In the land covered in Twilight, where people roam as spirits, you were transformed into a blue-eyed beast… That was a sign… It was a sign that the powers of the chosen one rest within you… and that they are awakening. Look at your awakened form…"

Danielle looked towards the wolf, only to see a young man standing there next to her. He was clad in a forest green tunic over a long-sleeved white shirt and pants, brown leather gauntlets reaching up to his elbows while leaving his fingers exposed and brown leathers boots on his feet. He had blond hair mostly covered by a long peculiar green hat, but his blue eyes were the exact same ones as the wolf, a sword and wooden shield strapped to his back.

"The green tunic that is your garb once belonged to the ancient hero chosen by the gods… His power is yours. His is the true power that slept within you. Your name is Link. You are the hero chosen by the gods. Brave Link… A dark power rests in the temple deep within these woods. It is a forbidden power. Long, long ago, I and the other spirits of light locked it away. Because of its nature, it is a power that should never be touched by any who dwell in the light. But this world weeps beneath a mantle of shadows, and so there is no choice… You must match the power of the king of shadows. If you would seek this forbidden power, then proceed to the temple in the forest depths."

_A forbidden power, huh? Something so dangerous… and yet it's the only way to be able to take on Zant._

Faron now turned its head towards Danielle, the still-transformed girl hesitating. "And you, o child of the great knight… You remain in your twisted state by the Twilight that has fallen over your home. But it is not merely the power of the king of shadows that has changed you into this. Surely, you have been charged by the gods to protect this land as well. You resisted the dark magic that turned your family into servants of the king of shadows and retained a physical body in the Twilight… A great burden rests on your shoulders, young one… Your brothers now scour the land for you and the Champion Blade to deliver to their new master. Even now, one approaches these woods… But you are still weak as you are now." Suddenly, Danielle found herself floating in the air before the light spirit, her eyes widening in surprise.

 _Ah? What's happening!?_ She thought frantically, looking around quickly as Link lifted his head and watched her in confusion.

"Do not fear, child… Deep within you is a sleeping power. With these desperate times, it must be awakened early." A small sphere of light formed in the air before her, glowing softly. "We, the light spirits of the Hyrule proper, shall bestow upon you a portion of our power. Your body is young, and awakening what lies within you prematurely may take a great strain upon your body. Will you accept this?"

Danielle's eyes flickered up to the light, tendrils of fear digging into her heart. But as her thoughts drifted to her family, that fear was slowly erased. She wanted to help her family, even if it meant taking risks that terrified her. She nodded slightly as Faron stared down into her eyes, the light brightening before shooting into Danielle's chest, warmth spreading through her torso and into her heart. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before, strength filling her body. But at the same time, a white-hot pain ripped through her body, causing her to let out a slight cry of pain as Faron's voice filled the air once more.

"For now, rest while this power becomes one with your body. You will be safe in this spring while the hero chosen by the gods seeks the dark power within the Forest Temple."

Her eyelids felt heavy now as she looked down towards Link, seeing him nod and smile just a bit. Unable to fight back the drowsiness anymore, she gave in to it, her thoughts slipping away.

\--------------------------

_Now is the time, child… One of the Twilit Knights approaches. With him he carries two of the ancient sealed weapons of legends: the Blazing Sword, Durandal, and the Gale Bow, Mugre. Time is short, and I cannot explain the importance of these weapons to you, only that you must retrieve them. But be warned… if you should fall and be returned to Hyrule Castle, the Princess of Destiny will not be able to aid you, and the king of shadows' newest plan will be one step closer to completion. You must not fail, child._

Danielle's eyes jumped open and flickered about quickly, her body tensed and mind alert despite having just awoken. Faron's words echoed in her mind as she took in her surroundings. She was lying just on the edge of the spring, its water gently lapping at her right claw. Rising to her feet, she leaned forward and stretched out, wings opening behind her slightly as she let out a slight yawn. Link was gone, which meant he was probably still in the Forest Temple.

_Clank, clank, clank._

Danielle lifted her head, hearing the clatter of heavy armor filling the air. Immediately, she took cover behind one of the large trees near the spring, peering out from behind it as a black-armor figure entered the spring. Even with the cruel-looking armor and pale flesh, Danielle instantly recognized her oldest brother, Cale. He slowly looked around, empty eyes narrowed as he stepped into the water of the spring. "So, someone has restored you, Faron. I wonder who that could possibly be." Sarcasm and coldness dripped in his voice like venom as darkness began to spread through the waters, Faron's cry filling the air. "But that will not last long. And this time, no one will be able to restore your light…"

Without even hesitating, Danielle burst out from her hiding place and slammed into Cale, tackling the knight roughly to the ground. She growled somewhat, jumping backwards and baring her teeth while Cale rose once more to his feet, cold blue eyes locking with hers. "Well, if it isn't my dear sister. You're the one who managed to restore this spirit? I never would have thought you had it in you." He smirked cruelly, standing up straight and pulling Durandal out of its scabbard at his side. He pointed the blade at her now, sliding into his usual defensive stance. "Come. Lord Zant wishes to see you. If you go peacefully, then I won't be forced to hurt you, sister…"

_No… He may look like Cale, but it is darkness that is there. Brother never had such a look in his eyes and he would never consider hurting me._

Telling herself this was the only way she could bring herself to fight the brother she loved so much. Danielle took a step back, growling again and causing Cale to narrow his eyes. "So, going to fight me, Danielle? You sure have grown some backbone in such a short amount of time."

With a snarl, she rushed forward along the ground, watching as Cale lunged forward with the tip of his sword. She leapt into the air, using her momentum to grab him by his head and slam him backwards into the ground, managing to catch him off guard as he grunted in pain. Quickly, she jumped away and landed on the ground behind him, turning to watch as he slowly recovered.

_No… I didn't catch him off guard. He's trying to avoid killing me._

Cale stretched his neck, a slight crack being heard before he lifted his head and glared at her. "A lot of backbone… So, what's with the change? You were always a coward, sister, never able to stand up for yourself. How did you manage to escape? I don't doubt you had help, but from who? Even that stubborn princess refused to tell us, no matter how hard we tried to force an answer from her lips."

This touched a nerve in Danielle. They had tortured Princess Zelda for details of her escape? Snarling, she leapt forward once more with a flap of her wings, shooting by Cale's side, her claws raking Cale's breastplate and causing sparks to fly. She landed on the grass, claws digging into the soft ground as she snapped her head sideways, hearing Cale actually chuckling. "That is what I'm looking for." He leaned his head back, laughing once more. "Show me the anger… of the animal you've become!"

Danielle narrowed her eyes as darkness began to cover her brother, his body completely back as he began to change. Slowly backing away, Danielle felt her anger fading fast upon seeing the massive beast before her. It stood on three stout and muscular legs that ended in sharp spikes of bone with two in front and one in the back. Its massive, powerful torso rose up from the middle of the three legs, slimmer in the middle and becoming bulky at the top. Its right arm ended in a dark, corrupted blade, three jagged spikes jutting from the back of the shoulder while its left was some sort of crossbow. Its head jutted forward from its torso, eyeless with a maw of jagged and deadly teeth. Its entire body seemed to be composed of magma and volcanic rock, lines of glowing orange spreading all across its body, especially its torso and sword.

"Behold, little sister… the true power given to me by Lord Zant. I am now Atroc, the blade of Zant!"

Danielle was still backing away, her blue eyes wide as she stared up at the abomination that had once been her brother. This was the great and terrifying power of Twilight? It brandished its wicked blade, tendrils of fear slipping through her body as she realized she was alone in facing this beast. Link was still at the Forest Temple, and Faron was weakened from having just recovered its light that had been stolen by the Shadow Beasts.

" _Do not fear, Danielle. Darkness cannot overcome light."_

Zelda's voice echoed in her mind as Danielle suddenly held her ground, the fear in her heart melting away at the sound of the princess's strong and calm voice. She narrowed her eyes as she stared up at Atroc, remembering all the times she had spent training with her brothers to become stronger…

_No more running, not anymore. I will not run away!_

With a powerful roar that shook the very ground beneath her feet, Atroc raised its blade to the air. Danielle made her move, rushing forward with bared fangs, determined to bring down this dark abomination.


	8. A Brother's Fury

Danielle flapped her wings, lifting into the air as Atroc's blade passed right under her with enough force to rock her small body in its wake. Regardless, she struck at its face, claws raking against its stone flesh. Its left arm swiftly shot up, swatting her away and sending her crashing to the ground painfully hard. She shook her head, grunting and rising to her feet, catching sight of its raising its sword. But instead of striking her as she tried to get her bearings straight, it struck the ground with the tip of its sword, darkness shooting out in a wave towards her. Reacting quickly, she flew into the air and avoided the attack, now making the thrust her claw at its chest. She had missed striking at the rocky skin though, her claw sinking slightly into the magma. Pain seared across her claw, Danielle quickly flying backwards and favoring her right claw.

_Its body is solid rock, and any part of it that isn't is instead too dangerous to even touch. How can I even hurt this thing, let alone defeat it?_

Atroc was now raising its left arm, aiming the crossbow at her. Baring her teeth, Danielle dove down, trying to zigzag through the air to throw off its aim. She knew she could only buy so much time this way, trying to think of what to do next. A bolt of darkness shot from the crossbow, Danielle just barely avoiding it, feeling a chill brush by her side. Another came at her, forcing her to abruptly pull up to avoid getting hit. But being so focused on avoiding the shots had made her take her attention off of Atroc's sword, which was swinging up from below her. The blade nicked her chest, searing pain tearing across her chest before quickly being replaced by a cold unlike any other. It was as if ice was forming within her body where the blade had struck, Danielle floating back and clutching at the injury while inspecting it. The cut was shallow and not bleeding much, but the cold wasn't fading.

_That sword… that is definitely no normal sword. It barely even cut me, yet it feels like my entire chest is frozen from the inside._

"Never take your eyes off your enemy, sister!" Atroc's rough voice suddenly shouted, making Danielle snap her head up just in time to see the bolt of pure darkness that was shooting at her. It slammed into her chest with enough force that she was sent flying backwards and crashing into the tree behind her, the air rushing from her lungs. The darkness from the bolt didn't dissipate but instead wrapped around her, holding her in place like some sort of bonds. "I thought you may have improved somewhat, but I can see I was sorely mistaken." Atroc stepped forward towards the spring once more. "This time, I will take Faron's light and hold it myself, and you will be brought before Lord Zant. You put up a valiant, if pointless, fight."

Danielle struggled against the bonds of darkness as Atroc took another step forward. That was when Twilight shot down from the sky, forming together to reveal Link standing there. At first he looked quite surprised to find himself standing before such a strange and powerful-looking monster, but he quickly recovered from his shock and drew his sword in his left hand and shield in his right. Just as Atroc looked down, seemingly surprised itself at his arrival, Link swung hard with his blade at one of the thick legs, sword cutting only slightly into the stone and causing sparks to fly. He jumped to the side to avoid getting kicked by the leg, Atroc growling as it now shifted its focus to the threat at hand.

" _He cannot defeat it alone,"_ Zelda's voice spoke.  _"Only the power of light that Faron has indwelt you with can free you and damage it. You must learn to control that power."_

 _How!? I don't even know how to use that power, much less control it!_ Danielle growled, feeling helpless while fighting to free herself from the unbreakable bonds. She could only watch as Link struggled against Atroc, the hero unable to pierce through its rocky armor and resorting to avoiding most of its strikes. He looked worn out from his encounters in the temple, gasping heavily upon backflipping to avoid a dark bolt of energy. His shoulders sagged a bit as he gritted his teeth, trying to anticipate Atroc's next move.

" _That… is something you yourself must discover, Danielle. I cannot reach you how to use that which belongs to you alone."_

Frustration welled up within her as Danielle pulled hard at the cold bonds around her, but to no avail. She watched as Atroc attacked with a weeping blow that slammed into Link's shield and flung him to the ground with a cry of pain. Atroc's front right leg pinned the Hylian's sword-wielding left arm to the ground, its massive blade now resting against his neck as it gloated in triumph. It was savoring its victory before it executed him.

_What's the point of having power… if I can't even use it to save my friend!?!_

Suddenly, the same feeling that had overcome her as Faron had indwelt her with its light filled her, warmth piercing through the cold darkness as she found herself dropping down to the water. She shook her head, confused and uncertain about what was going on. Had her power finally awakened?

"Gaaah!" Link cried out now, Atroc pressing the blade tip down against his chest, just over his heart. It was going to kill him slowly, but it hadn't seemed to notice that Danielle had freed herself. Seeing him at the mercy of the abomination, Danielle pushed aside her surprise and focused instead on Atroc. She charged forward now, water splashing underfoot while she focused that power within her into her claws. Golden light covered them now, the girl praying this would work as she delivered a powerful slash with both sets of claws, slicing easily into the black rocky leg behind it. This did the trick, Atroc roared in surprise as it stumbled back and released Link from beneath its leg. He rolled to his feet, shaking out his left arm before readying his blade once more. She had managed to strike fast enough that he wasn't harmed by Atroc's dark sword.

_Light… That's it! Its body is infused by powerful darkness, and so only light can harm it! That's how we have to defeat Atroc!_

Danielle joined Link, watching Atroc recover with a slight growl of irritation and anger. "So, you finally figured it out, eh?" It raised its sword to the sky, darkness wrapping around it. "I was holding back for fear of hurting that which Lord Zant asked for… but I'm sure he won't be too displeased if I'm forced to take drastic measures." Danielle narrowed her eyes, knowing that it was planning on using some type of powerful attack now. She glanced up at Link, seeing him watching Atroc carefully. Now she rose on her hind legs, placing both claws on Link's sword as she tried to channel the power within her into his weapon. The golden light wrapped around his sword as her claws fell away, the Hylian looking down at her and nodding.

_I can't fight well, but he can. I hold the power he lacks to harm Atroc. It's only together that we can defeat it._

Atroc's blade surged with darkness that seemed to corrupt the very air itself, its eyeless head turning towards them. Link rushed forward, leaping up to land on its left leg before crouching and jumping up at its head, just as the beast performed a spinning attack. While Danielle was out of range of the blade itself, the dark energy that leapt from the blade surged outwards, slamming into Danielle. She let out a strangled cry as the darkness tore at her, flinging her back into the water of Faron's spring. She rolled just a bit as she crashed into the water, grunting in pain and quickly turning her eyes to Atroc while struggling to rise to her feet. The abomination was frozen in place, sword still close to the ground as if it had stopped in the middle of its spin attack. Link stood atop its head, sword tip driven down through its head, both hands wrapped tightly around the hilt. He narrowed his eyes, pulling the blade up out of its stone head with ease and jumping down, rolling before coming up and turning to face Atroc. A strange moan escaped the beast's mouth as its body turned completely grey, the magma hardening and its body falling apart. Its sword and crossbow crashed to the ground first, darkness shooting up from the weapons and leaving behind Cale's sword and bow. As the rest of Atroc's body fell apart in the same manner, Cale was revealed on his hands and knees, gasping heavily for air.

He managed to raise his head, actually smirking while a malicious look filled his eyes. "Maybe… I was wrong after all, sister… You really have gotten better. I'm impressed." He closed his eyes now, head dropping low. "Until next time, Danielle…" His body dissolved into Twilight that shot into the sky, leaving Link and Danielle alone in the spring, the only sound in the air the trickling of water and the singing of birds as the evil presence left.

Danielle stared at the space where Cale had been, a look of sadness in her sapphire eyes. It hadn't been easy to bring herself to fight and hurt her brother, but seeing that monster he had become… It worried her. What would happen when she faced Rurik and Blaine? She had the feeling that the entire time, Cale had been holding back. If that was the case, then would Zant order her other brothers to not do the same? She heard Link's boots slosh through the water, the Hylian now at her side as he crouched down, checking over her draconic body for any injuries. Thankfully, the spring water's healing properties had taken care of any she had sustained. "Are you okay?" he questioned, Danielle meeting his gaze with her own. She nodded now, her strength having returned enough that she was able to stand on her own feet without much trouble.

"So that was your brother, huh? Talk about a creep." Midna popped up in her shadow form, glancing sideways at Danielle as she folded her arms. "I mean, really. To become a monster like that? He must have a really twisted heart." She grinned, Danielle letting out a low, menacing growl. "Touchy subject, eh?" She noticed the admonishing look Link gave her, shrugging before turning her gaze to Cale's fallen weapons. Midna had a curious look on her face as she hovered over to them, examining them. "Well, looks like your dear brother left his weapons behind." Her hair took the shape of a hand, bolts of orange energy shooting into the sword and bow and causing them both to dissolve into Twilight. "I guess I'll just hold onto these, then."

Danielle saw Midna glancing back at her with a slight frown on her face before diving once more beneath Link's shadow without another word. She wasn't sure, but it seemed that the imp wasn't too happy with her right now…

"Heroic Link, brave Danielle…" Faron's voice filled the air, making them both lift their heads somewhat. "Do not think that Hyrule is now saved from the spread of Twilight… Leave these woods and go to the east, where you will find the land protected by the spirit Eldin. There you will find what you seek… But know that these lands lie in Twilight… They are now a dark realm covered by the clouds of dusk. If you set foot beyond the curtains of Twilight, heroic Link, you will revert to your beast form, so be prepared. Heroes chosen by the gods, leave these woods and go east, to the land of the spirit Eldin."

_The lands to the east… Kakariko Village and Death Mountain are in Eldin Province, if memory serves correctly. That is also where the Goron tribe lives…_

Danielle noticed Link turning away, heading up the path that would lead them to Hyrule Field. Gazing back at Faron's spring, her thoughts drifted to her brother and the words that Midna had spoke.

_A twisted heart… Did that dark abomination really represent the state of his heart?_

Shaking her head now, she turned and followed after Link as they headed out of the Faron Woods.

\--------------------------

Greil strode into the throne room of Hyrule Castle, his entire face concealed by the wicked helmet he wore, his greatsword Exaccus in hand as his blood red cape flowed behind him. Zant sat upon the throne, remaining in Hyrule after his swift victory. Greil knelt before the king of shadow, head lowered. "The Champion Blade has been removed from the castle, and no trace of the prisoners can be found."

Zant never moved, still as a statue while he spoke, voice distorted by the helmet he wore. "The princess revealed nothing of their whereabouts?"

"Nothing, my lord. But Cale came upon Danielle and a strong Hylian within Faron Woods."

Zant lifted his head slightly at this. "And?"

"The light spirit Faron had been restored, and there was no trace of Midna or the Champion Blade, although it is my belief that both are with the two."

Zant's voice took on a tone of barely-contained anger now. "And why is the child and the other not here before me?" he questioned.

Greil bowed his head even lower. "Cale was defeated and lost Durandal and Mugre."

Upon hearing these words, he rose to his feet in indignation. "Defeated? I gave you and your sons a fraction of my god's power, and you could not defeat a mere child and a stranger?" Zant was seething behind his helmet. "Bring the girl to me in chains and the Champion Blade in your hand unless you desire a fate worse than death."

The dark knight rose to his feet and saluted. "Yes, my lord." Turning, he strode out of the throne room to seek his sons. Cale had failed, but Rurik and Blaine would not make the same mistake.

"And after… it is time to pay a visit to the princess once more…"


	9. One Step Closer

_Whoops._

Danielle looked at the ruins of the building she had just barely escaped from, black smoke drifting slowly into the air. Hunting the Shadow Insects had led her to some kind of storage shed. Unfortunately, whatever was being stored inside also happened to be highly flammable, as lighting a fire in the fireplace to smoke out the insect had resulted in it catching aflame and spreading to flames to everything about it. Within a few seconds of her escaping, the entire building had exploded.

_Fortunately, the three insects were killed that hid inside… although at the expense of someone's home._

Without warning, something landed roughly on her back. Danielle snarled, thinking it was a foe as she snapped over her shoulder, only to have two small hands grab her snout and snap it shut. There sat Midna, rolling her eye as she held Danielle's jaws closed. "Jumpy, eh?" She looked now to the rubble, releasing Danielle while folding her arms. "Wow, you did a number on this place. Guess it was a good thing I came to check on you. Link looked pretty worried when he heard the ruckus."

Still somewhat irritated, Danielle just looked forward and prepared to head down the hill, only for Midna to lean forward and grab her neck, pulling it back so that her head was brought to the imp's own. "Link can handle gathering the rest of the tears," the imp spoke into Danielle's ear, eye flickering towards her. "Now, let's talk about your brothers for a minute."

Danielle narrowed her eyes as she heard this, neck bothering her slightly from being pulled back in such an uncomfortable position. Her brothers? For some reason, she really didn't like the tone of Midna's voice when she had said this, either. "I know Zant is sending them after you and only you for now, at least. He still wants you and that sword, and he won't stop until he gets both. Of course, he's also after me as well…" She released Danielle suddenly, hovering in front of her with the back to the transformed young girl, arms folded. "I'm sure he's figured it out by now that I helped you get out of the castle, so it's likely they'll now be looking for me the next time one of your brothers comes after you. I told Zelda I'd watch you, but getting the rest of the Fused Shadows is more important than babysitting you. And with what your brother turned into back there, well…" She shrugged, seemingly changing her mind abruptly on what she was about to say. "Link had more trouble with that thing than Diababas in the Forest Temple. If it weren't for you, he may not have survived." Midna turned to face her once more, arms still folded as she frowned. "Of course, if it weren't for you, that monster wouldn't have been there in the first place."

A shiver ran up her spine at the tone of the imp's voice. Danielle took a step back from her, slightly tensed now, but Midna hovered over to the girl and rested her left arm on her draconic head. She was looking down at her fingers idly before leaning forward to whisper in her ear. "If you being around us puts what I'm doing at risk, I won't hesitate to throw you out to your brothers, got it?" Danielle hesitated for a split second, realizing just what she was saying. The young girl nodded slowly in reply, wondering if Link had the slightest clue about this. It wasn't like she could tell him, either… "Good," Midna spoke with a grin, patting her head. "If you can manage to hold your own against your precious brothers and not get Link nearly killed again, then maybe I won't have to hand you over to them. With that settled, let's meet up with Link and get the rest of those tears." She hopped onto Danielle's back, holding on at the base of her neck. "Get going!"

Danielle couldn't help but let out an annoyed growl, heading down the path to the village. Midna's words echoed in her mind, continuing to send chills running through her even now. She knew the imp was deadly serious about this, which worried her. Would her own ally be the one who turned her over to Zant?

\--------------------------

They stood before a great owl of golden light, Link in his human form and Danielle still stuck as a dragon. The pair had hunted down every last Shadow Insect, even up on the dangerous trails of Death Mountain. Just as when she had seen Faron for the first time, Danielle stood staring in amazement at the spirit of light while the spirit turned its attention to Link. "My name is Eldin. I am one of the light spirits of Hyrule. I am the spirit that guards these lands. O great hero chosen by the gods… The dark power you seek lies in the sacred grounds of the proud mountain dwellers. But already those grounds have been defiled, draped in shadow and seeded with evil. You must go to those sacred grounds and cleanse them."

_That explains why the Gorons were so on edge while we hunted the insects… but what could have happened?_ Danielle thought idly to herself, stretching her neck slightly as a crick began to bother her.

"And you, child… I feel the power of the spirit Faron within you already, and now I shall add mine." Snapped out of her thoughts by finding herself being lifted into the air, she turned her gaze to the light spirit as the majestic owl stared down at her. "Another of your brothers comes to capture you, young one. You must defeat him as you defeated the eldest and take the weapon that he holds."

Curiosity filled her face now. His weapon? What was so important about the weapons her brother carried? Why were the light spirits tasking her with retrieving them?

As if Eldin detected her unspoken question, it continued to speak. "The weapons you brother carry are not ordinary tools of war. The tale of their origin has been lost in the tides of time to the people of Hyrule, but we know of the forgotten truth. But now is not the time for their origins to be revealed to you, as time is short. When you are to know the truth, it shall be revealed to you." Light formed before the great owl, taking the shape of a small sphere the size of her fist. "Now, accept this portion of my power to awaken yours further."

Still confused by the spirit's enigmatic words, Danielle nodded just slightly. The light shot into her chest, the same warmth as before filling her entire being along with a deep drowsiness. Eldin gently lowered her to the ground, her eyes beginning to close. "Your body has nearly adjusted to the power within. Only one final piece remains," the spirit's deep voice rumbled. "Rest well, child."

As sleep overtook her, one final thought crossed her tired mind. The light spirits were hiding the truth about the weapons from her right now, but why?

\--------------------------

"It looks like one of those monsters that invaded Kakariko."

"It does, but it is curious that when all of the beasts vanished, this one appeared tucked away in the spirit's spring and sleeping no less. It is possible that it is not one of the creatures at all."

"Maybe, since I've never seen one as frail as this before. Could be a genuine dragon, but I could also be wrong."

Danielle was awakened by the sound of two men's voices near her, a soft grunt escaping from her mouth. Water sloshed nearby, the ring of a sword being drawn from its sheath filling the air. Slowly she opened her eyes, keeping her body completely still. The man with the blade stood nearly six feet tall, his ears pointed like a Hylian's but his skin unusually tanned. He wore heavy chain mail beneath his light armor, and the way he stood hinted at an experienced warrior who was no stranger to battle. The one behind him bore long, black hair and lesser-tanned skin, clad in the robes of a shaman. "Hold, Leon. Stay your blade."

"You sure, Renado? It could be one of them."

The shaman, Renado, nodded just slightly and stepped past the warrior. "I do not see rage in its eyes, but fear." Danielle recoiled away a bit and her heart pounded in her chest as Renado approached, the clear water swirling about. He seemed quite interested, crouching down before her. "A dragon has not been seen in this land for many long years, let alone a fledgling such as this. It bears no hostility against us, which is a good omen."

"A dragon is a monster regardless," Leon snorted, lowering his blade just slightly while Renado held out a hand to Danielle, as if he expected her to sniff at it and inspect it like some animal. "I saw go ahead and kill it now before it grows up and decides to feast on the people of Kakariko in the next few years."

_They really do think I am some mindless animal…_ Danielle thought.  _But that Leon fellow is already testing my nerves._

With a snort in return at Leon, she surprised Renado by reaching out her claw and pacing it against his outstretched palm. His eyes grew wide briefly as the shaman stared down at her, Leon himself looking startled. She held her claw there while the shock set in on the two before pulling it away and stepping back, sitting down with her head held proudly. "Perhaps you should watch your words, Leon. This fledgling is no fool."

"Hmph. So it understands Hylian. Big deal." His surprise had quickly faded, the dark-skinned Hylian turning while sheathing his sword. "We need to be securing Kakariko in case more of those dark monsters come instead of fawning over some dragon… unless you want a repeat of that kid Colin's kidnapping."

Renado turned his head just slightly so he could look back at Leon, a deep frown on his face. Apparently Leon's words had brought up some less than pleasant memories for the shaman. "Perhaps you are correct in one concern." He slowly rose to his feet, staring down at Danielle for a second before tearing his thoughtful gaze away and following Leon.

_Well, that was interesting,_ she thought, tail curled around her slightly.  _Never a dull moment I suppose. Thank the goddesses the brute didn't try to kill me._

Stretching, Danielle let out a slight yawn and closed her eyes for a few seconds to enjoy the crisp, cool water lapping at her body and the warm sun shining down on her. It was during those scant few seconds that she failed to notice the shadow that fell over her. Before she had even opened her eyes, a powerful blow slammed into the back of her head, everything fading to black in a single burst of pain.

 


	10. Battle on the Bridge

" _Wake… up… Wake up!!"_

Danielle's eyes jumped open, coming to her senses with a jolt. Immediately she realized she was being dragged roughly along a stone bridge by the chain around her neck. Gazing around quickly, she saw a green goblin-like fiend with a tunic of animal fur and metal shoulder guards, a worn brown leather cap and navy blue bandanna around its mouth on its head. It held the chain in one hand and a decent-sized club in the other, another of the creatures walking beside it. They were heading towards a black-armored figure with an axe in hand out on the middle of the bridge.

_Rurik? Wonderful. I get knocked out and dragged to the middle of some bridge while Link is still up on Death Mountain! Gah, curse my luck!_

Aware that the goblins had no idea she had awoken, Danielle flexed her claws before digging them into the stone and lunging forward, ripping into the creatures' backs before they could so much as turn their heads to look at her, muffled cries escaping from behind their bandanas. The chain attached to the shackle around her neck was now released, the two fiends going to fact her when she made her next move. In one swift strike she had rushed past them both, delivering slashes simultaneously at their chests. Both stumbled back, letting out cries as they pitched over the side of the bridge. Danielle gazed coolly at Rurik even as he grinned, axe resting on his shoulder. "I heard from Cale you were getting to be pretty bold, but I had to see for myself. Heh, the way you struck down those two Bulblins proves it. Little Danielle's growing up and showing the savagery inside."

Danielle growled, every muscle in her body tensed as she watched him slowly walk forward. Running wasn't an option. She could tell from her surroundings that she was currently on the Great Bridge of Eldin with Kakariko to the south of her, but she couldn't just run back to find Link. He wouldn't always be there to help when she was in trouble. Rurik read the expression in her eyes, stopping now while his grin grew even wider. "So, you're going to stay and fight, eh? That's the spirit!" Rurik lifted his axe from his shoulder, cracking his neck. "We'll have a nice, fair battle just like when we trained you… and you needn't worry about me turning into some monster like Cale did, either."

Now she faltered just slightly, sapphire eyes growing wide. There was no malice in his voice as there had been with Cale. Rurik didn't sound a bit different from before Zant's dark power had cursed him. He acted as if this was another playful spar in good faith instead of a battle that would determine Danielle's fate. This made her heart ache in yearning to rush into her brother's arms, but she mentally chastised herself for such thinking. Rurik was now a servant of Zant. She couldn't allow her feelings to deceive her, no matter how much she desired otherwise.

Rurik stopped a few feet in front of her, eyes flickering as he noticed Danielle's hesitancy. "Sister, we need not fight… Battles are terrible affairs, especially between members of a family. You will not be harmed if you return with me to the castle… you will be safe with us, safe from harm or death." He smiled now, outstretching his gauntleted left hand. "Come, Danielle, please. Return to us, your family."

Danielle couldn't help but walk forward now, staring up at the kind face of her older brother, feeling so very young. Every single part of her wanted to just run up to him, and it was only after she slowly began to reach out her claw that she stopped. Princess Zelda had entrusted her with the task of aiding Link in restoring the light to Hyrule. She was determined not to fail such an important mission that the very monarch of Hyrule requested her to complete. Lowering her claw, Danielle stepped back, claws ticking against the stone as everything became silent. It was her duty to the princess before her desire to be with her family once more.

Rurik paused, his expression one of mild surprise. "I see. You do not trust me." He lowered his hand in disappointment, staring at it for a second. "You are wise, sister. I am proud to see you have grown. Loyal to the princess to the end." His voice had taken on a strange tone with these last words, Danielle noticing his right arm tense up suddenly. She had little time to react before the side of his axe, Armads, slammed into her, flinging her to the edge of the Bridge of Eldin. Her claws scrambled to grasp the stone, the transformed girl just barely managing to stop herself from rolling over the edge and into the yawning chasm below.

_A ploy… it had all been a ploy from the very beginning, and I nearly fell for it!_

Pulling herself up quickly, she rolled to the side and barely avoided Rurik's axe as it slammed into the bridge, sparks flying through the air. Her eyes flickered to the side, Danielle lashing out quickly with her tail at the back of Rurik's knee. With a grunt, the knight stumbled and fell to a knee, giving Danielle some time to put a bit of distance between herself and her brother. A few seconds later he had recovered, standing up straight and resting his axe on his shoulder while watching her calmly. He was the slowest but the most powerful of all her brothers, which meant she had to avoid getting struck by one of his stronger blows. Already her small body suffered from the last strike she had taken, her side throbbing sharply and each breath a heavy pant.

Rurik suddenly grinned, stretching his neck slightly before he charged forward, axe swinging downwards at her. She shifted to the right to avoid, growling and lashing out with her claws as light covered the tips, the strike catching him in his armpit. Crimson blood trickled down slowly from the gashes where she had managed to pierce the dark armor, Rurik now stepping backwards from her. Upon inspecting his arm, he grimaced, turning his gaze once more to his sister. "You put to use what Cale taught you pretty well."

With a snort, Danielle crouched low, her belly just barely touching the bridge. Rurik charged forward, letting out a fierce cry as he brought the axe crashing down towards her. Instead of dodging to the side, Danielle lunged forward, claws raking the armor of his right leg. This time Rurik cried out in pain, stumbling and falling to a knee, dropping Armads beside him. Spinning around swiftly, Danielle watched him seethe and clutch at the injury, her brother turning his head sideways to look at her out of the corner of his eye. "Enough toying around…" he growled, abruptly lunging at her despite the wound that Danielle thought would cripple him. In a split second his hands latched onto her neck, grasping tightly and cutting off her air. Danielle's eyes widened in surprise as she now found herself at the mercy of her powerful sibling, forced to the ground on her back, his bulky frame allowing him to pin her with ease. "You may have been taught… how to best fight against a slower opponent…" Rurik was panting, an intensity in his eyes unlike anything she had seen before. "…But speed isn't always enough to defeat sheer strength!"

Danielle flailed about weakly, struggling to gasp for air. Rurik's gaze was merciless, his grip as strong as iron and never weakening despite Danielle's efforts to pull his hands away. Desperate, she latched onto his chestplate with both claws, darting her head forward and sinking her teeth into his neck. His sharp cry was one of surprise and pain, his hands releasing her neck as he tried to grasp at her jaws and pull them away. Taking her chance, she mustered all the strength she could even as darkness crept forward at the edge of her vision and threw him back over her head and the side of the bridge. She heard his screams slowly fade before suddenly cutting off, Twilight shooting up from below the bridge and into the sky.

She laid there on her back, gasping heavily while her side and neck throbbed painfully, the coppery taste of blood in her mouth. Disgusted, she turned her head slightly and spat repeatedly, the taste of her brother's blood nauseating her greatly. But despite feeling sick to her stomach, a sense of pride and relief slowly filled her. She had bested Rurik on her own, a feat she wouldn't have thought possible before, especially with a body such as this. Closing her eyes briefly, she managed to catch her breath after several seconds. After that ordeal, the peace and quiet that now filled the air was a much welcomed change.

_That is both Cale and Rurik defeated now. Blaine and father are left. I wonder, though… Why was Cale so very different while Rurik seemed mostly the same with the exception of him trying to bring me to Zant? Could it really have been something deep within Cale's heart, just as Midna said?_

The sound of a horse's hooves beating against the ground reached her ears, Danielle now opening her eyes and rolling over onto her belly. From the south came a reddish-brown horse with a green-clad rider she instantly recognized as Link. Her tensed body relaxed once more as she slumped back down to the bridge's surface, Link pulling up next to her, his powerful steed coming to a quick stop. Jumping down, he ran over to her while Midna popped up from his shadow. The imp took a single glimpse at the axe nearby before she turned her gaze to Danielle. "Lemme guess: family issues?"

Danielle snorted slightly and gave the imp a "what-do-you-think" look, rolling her eyes. Link stood over her while looking around quickly, remaining on alert in case anything else decided to try and attack. "Some fighter in Kakariko had mentioned seeing Bulblins dragging off 'a wretched dragon' north of the village. Seems you didn't leave too good of an impression on him." Once more Danielle snorted, a smirk of sorts creeping across her mouth. "At least you managed to handle things yourself. I was worried we would get here too late."

Midna had used her magic to turn Armads into Twilight particles, now floating over to Danielle as Link spoke. With the world restored to light, she had to remain in that strange translucent form. The imp wore a grin, folding her arms. "So, you managed to actually beat one of your brothers by yourself? Maybe you aren't that weak after all." Her grin widened despite the raised eyebrow that Link gave her. "I was thinking that by the time we even caught up, you'd already be long gone and kneeling before Zant."

Danielle's smirk fell away as she glanced sideways at Midna, growing a bit irritated. She seemed almost disappointed that her theory wasn't the case. Midna apparently noticed the irritated look in her eyes, as she chuckled before diving back down under Link's shadow, her voice filling the air. "Well, what are you two waiting for? There's one last Fused Shadow to get."

Link just shook his head, mounting his horse without a word while Danielle flapped her wings and rose into the air. To the west was Lanayru Province, the last area still covered in Twilight. Not only that, but it was the heart of Hyrule and her home.

_Home… I'm finally home. It is time to end this once and for all._


	11. The Legend of the Guardians

_That is nearly all of the Tears of Light, I believe. But where is the last one?_

Danielle soared through the sky, head turned downwards slightly so she could peer down at the Twilight-covered land. She had taken to the sky to help Link hunt the Shadow Insects, and now only one remained. While Link's senses allowed him to see a short distance in front of him, hers were better suited at long distances. Working in tandem, hunting the insects in this province had been pretty easy so far, except for that last one. Circling over Lake Hylia once more, she caught a glimpse of some disturbance on the now-filled lake's surface. Diving sharply, wings tucked in behind her, Danielle narrowed her eyes and noticed Link fighting a gigantic Shadow Insect unlike any other they had faced before. It was now on its back in the water, flailing about while Link jumped onto its stomach. With the aid of Midna's powerful magic, he struck all of the legs in quick succession, causing the monstrosity to be defeated.

 _I forget that Link can easily take care of himself. He doesn't need my aid. He is the chosen hero of the gods, after all,_ she thought.  _That fight against Atroc was mostly just because he was unprepared._

She pulled up now, no longer diving down as she hovered in the air and watched the final Tear of Light drift down to Link, the wolf claiming it. Bright light filled her vision as the Twilight was dispelled, her body now feeling light as a feather suddenly. Unlike previous times, however, she found herself alone in the spirit's spring with Link nowhere in sight. Confused, she glanced about slowly before she realized that something else was different besides Link being missing.

"Behold, your awakened form," a mighty voice spoke, filling the air. Danielle jumped a bit, surprised at the words that were abruptly spoken before she stared down at her hands, seeing crimson red leather gauntlets with gold trimming that left most of her fingers uncovered instead of black-scaled claws. Realizing that she was once more her human self, she quickly examined the rest of her body and her new clothing. She was clad in a tunic of similar style to Link's, but the color was bright red and silver-trimmed compared to the forest green of her ally's. Pants of the same red color reached down to her brown leather boots, a strap across her chest holding a scabbard with a sword on her back. Stepping forward to the edge of the ledge, she peered down to examine her own reflection in the spring. The face that stared up at her carried a stranger expression than the young girl had always seen before, a determination in her eyes that usually was absent.

A shape burst forth from the spring, causing her to recoil and cover her face as cold water splashed against her. Slowly she lowered her arm, gazing up at the golden serpent that now towered over her, a sphere of light grasped in its jaws. The light spirit lowered its head down to her, eyes staring into her own. "Fear not, child. I am Lanayru, the spirit who guards this province. The brave efforts of you and the chosen hero have rid the land of Twilight. Now, draw your blade."

Curiosity purked by the command, Danielle drew the sword she carried and finally observed it. It was truly the work of a master blacksmith, surpassing any other blade she had glimpsed before. The hilt was wrapped in navy blue leather, the guard stretched out slightly diagonally and upwards. At the middle was a strange triangular symbol, with a single topaz that glittered like fire, the golden crest of the royal family set into the gemstone. The blade itself was polished and sharp, the length considered a one-handed sword, but Danielle had to grip the blade with both hands to hold it. Hylian letters, engraved in gold and in a dialect ancient and beyond the young girl's comprehension, lined the middle of both sides of the blade.

"The sacred sword you now carry is the legendary Champion Blade, treasure of the Hyrulean Royal Family. Your family is tasked by the king of shadows to retrieve both yourself and the blade."

"But why?" Danielle questioned, relieved to be able to hear her own voice once more. "What is so important about this sword and me that Zant is determined to capture both, great spirit?"

Lanayru lowered its head closer to her, the light from the sphere it clutched warming her body. "Now the truth lost to the tides of time shall be revealed to you. Listen well, child."

The scene around her twisted and morphed, total darkness now surrounding her. Even Lanayru was gone, buts its voice still filled the empty air. "The goddesses formed Hyrule and brought law and life to the land with their own hands. We light spirits of the Hyrule proper watched over the newly formed land, as did another set of creatures that the goddesses created."

Shapes shot by her now in the dark abyss, massive beings passing by the shocked girl. Flames swirled together, merging to take on the shape of a mighty dragon with piercing crimson eyes. It raised its head to the sky, those eyes filled with benevolence and caring despite its fearsome appearance.

Another darted by to the left, an entity composed completely of strange water. As it rose up, a muscular torso formed with long, powerful arms tipped in claws, the only solid part of its body being a skeletal "helmet" in the likeness of some sort of bull. It clenched both hands into fists, the liquid of its body turning to ice with a crackling sound, sharp spikes covering it.

Something soared overhead now, Danielle lifting her head to see a brilliantly-colored bird. The feathers of its wings were a rainbow of colors, its main body covered in vibrant green feathers. Its tail was long and serpent-like, and it lacked any talons. It hovered in the air to the right of the dragon, fiery orange eyes narrowed.

The next creature darted by even faster than any of the others so far. At first glance she thought it was a wolf, but it was nothing more than a blur of colors due to it moving so fast. Finally it stopped, rising up on its feet. Its features resembled that of a wolf, but it stood on its back legs with powerful muscles in its legs and arms. Jet black fur contrasted its mane of lightning around the back of its neck, the beast's tail whipping around behind it.

What came next was probably the most human-like of all the creatures, yet also the most curious looking. It looked like a human, but was clad entirely from head to toe in gold armor that was painted in various colors around different sections. The painted white eyes made it appear to stare endlessly without blinking at all things around it, moving swiftly despite the fact its armor had to weigh a considerable amount.

The final figure to come was a brilliant being of light, the most spectacular thing Danielle had ever seen before. Clad in silver armor with silk robes over parts of the armor, it walked forward slowly with its six white wings wrapped around its body, an aura of light radiating from the figure and illuminating everything near it.

Each of the figures, despite their differing and sometimes intimidating appearances, appeared nearly as majestic as the light spirits, and they encircled a group of young Hylian children, smiles on the faces of those that could express emotions. They enjoyed watching the children, laughing and talking to themselves.

"They observed the fledgling races and provided for the tribes in their territories. Peace reigned in Hyrule… until whispers of the Sacred Realm and the power of the goddesses that resided there. Greed began to stir within their hearts as brother fought brother. From the beginning of the skirmishes, the Guardians saw the evil in the hearts of men while blood soaked the crying earth. To 'save' the land from the flames of war, the Guardians took it upon themselves to destroy the defilers."

The angel, apparently the self-appointed leader, stepped forward towards the children, malice replacing the joy that had been on its face moments before. Unaware of its change in demeanor, the innocent children laughed and ran to the angel, even as its hands latched onto their throats. Danielle shut her eyes but couldn't block out the sound of their screaming, which abruptly cut off and was replaced by hooves beating against the earth. Upon opening her eyes, she discovered that the scene had changed once more. A cavalry of humans and Hylians rode powerful war horses towards the dragon of flames, Gorons rolling along beside them while bird-like humanoids flew high above the ground. But the battle was going poorly for them; several warriors had already fallen on the scorched battlefield.

"Once torn apart by a war to gain the Sacred Realm and its power, the races united to fight valiantly and protect their lives. Hylians, Gorons, Yeti, Sheikah, Watarara… but the Guardians proved to be too powerful, even for the allied army." The dragon let out a mighty roar as it raised its head to the sky, its body breaking down once more into flames before shooting forward to engulf the attackers completely. Those flames surrounded her, her ears still ringing from the sheer force of the roar. As the flames finally died away after several seconds, all that remained was a scorched, barren wasteland with the beast reforming and roaring in triumph. "The goddesses heard the cries of the people, the land torn asunder by the war. To save the people of the land, the goddesses gave to an ancestor of the royal family a sacred blade imbued with their power. Blessed by the six ancient sages, the warrior and the remaining tribes made their final stand against the Guardians. In the darkest hour of the land, the dark sorcerers who would later become the enemies of all the races lent stepped forward and lent their power for the decisive battle."

Dark figures cloaked in strange robes stood just ahead of the ranks of the allied army, the six Guardians ahead of them. The angel's once-brilliant light had dimmed considerably, an expression of malice still on its face. It shouted out in an unknown tongue, the other Guardians roaring and charging forward. The allied army shifted nervously and looked towards the dark sorcerers, who stood there without flinching as they stared down the Guardians. In one motion they had raised their right hands towards their foes, a strange dark power building up.

"The Guardians still believed that the goddesses would be on their side… and it was only during that final battle did they realize they had been abandoned, for their bodies had been made vulnerable to damage."

Unusual but powerful magic shot out from their hands, a barrage of dark magic slamming into the Guardians. Where there had once been confidence in their chances of victory, the array of creatures looked shocked and in great pain. The angel was the one who had taken the worst of the damage, crashing to his knees. With a battle cry, the leader of the allied army pointed a familiar-looking sword towards the Guardians, the ragtag group of fighters charging past the sorcerers. Severely weakened from the magic of the sorcerers, the Guardians were now the ones fighting to defend themselves, but it was no use. Their fate had already been decided by the goddesses. The leader stood over the fallen angel, who glared spitefully at him and cursed the Hylian in that ancient language. Without flinching, he raised his blade and brought it down at the angel's head, and the scene faded to black.

"But instead of allowing the Guardians to die and throw off the balance of the world's elements, the goddesses separated their spirits from their bodies and sealed them in six ancient weapons created by the sages. Their bodies were buried deep beneath the earth, never to see the light of day again, while the Guardians themselves were to remain imprisoned for eternity within the weapons."

Danielle stared in shock at the six weapons around her, the auras from the weapons matching the colors of each of the Guardian's elements. Not only that, but the weapons she saw were the very ones that her brothers carried. Durandal, Mugre, Armads, Malte, Animus, and Exaccus were the weapons that the spirits of the fallen Guardians were sealed in.

"Now you see, child, the dark origins of these weapons," Lanayru spoke, the scene returning to that of the spring. She stood there feeling numb, jaw dropped slightly in disbelief as the great serpent continued to tower over her. "The sealed weapons contain their spirits and their power, and the sword you hold now was used to defeat them. With the king of shadow's invasion, that power is close to being unleashed. He needs only to reclaim the weapons you carry and the Champion Blade. The blood of the royal family must be shed by the sacred blade for the weapons to be unsealed."

Slowly, Danielle looked down at her sword, her young mind trying to comprehend all Lanayru had told her. Ancient creatures from the beginning of Hyrule's creation? The weapons of her family containing their spirits? All of this seemed so farfetched, so out of this world… How was she supposed to believe it all?

_The blood of the royal family… the only person left is Princess Zelda!_

"Long have you desired to become a warrior as great as your brothers," the light spirit continued, the words similar to those Zelda had spoken in the tower. "The chosen hero seeks to defeat the king of shadows, and now your destiny has revealed itself. If successful, the king of shadows will hold enough power to defeat even the chosen hero. Child of a royal knight… will you take hold of your destiny and fight to protect that which you hold dear? Will you prevent that dark power from falling into the hands of those who would use it for evil deeds?"

Danielle wrapped her hand tightly around the Champion Blade, determination burning in her young eyes. Before she had believed she would never have the strength or courage to take on such a daunting task. All of that had changed since travelling with Link. Fighting to protect her liege and save her family had given her power she never thought she held, even with the power the spirits had granted her. No longer was she a timid child; a warrior was beginning to emerge. "I will."

"Then take the power I grant to you." Light gathered in front of Danielle, the young girl holding both arms out slightly to her sides. It shot into her chest, the power that filled her making her feel… complete, for a lack of a better term. Closing her eyes, Danielle allowed sleep to overcome her while Lanayru's parting words rang in her ears. "Let not fear gnaw at your heart, but stand tall in the face of darkness, and you shall overcome."


	12. Home Again

Danielle slowly stirred to the feeling of lying on something far softer than grass with warm blankets spread over her. Gradually opening her eyes, she stared up at a wooden ceiling, immediately growing confused. Obviously she was in a building instead of the spring, but where? How did she get here?

"It's not like you're treating her, doctor. She just needs a place to rest until she wakes up," an oddly familiar female voice spoke. "The young man who brought her to my tavern was kind enough to offer to escort my wagon to Kakariko and ask the shaman for help in treating the Zora child. At least he has some guts, unlike you and those cowardly knights."

"Hmph. If you expect to guilt me into taking care of this girl for free, then you are sorely mistaken," a snide voice retorted. "I demand payment for my services."

"Payment? Don't even get me started on payment, or do I nee to remind you of just how much  _you_ owe me?"

Danielle slowly sat up in the bed, the blanket slipping down off her chest. A doctor? She knew of only one doctor, Borville, who resided in Castle Town and charged large amounts of Rupees for simple treatments. "A doctor's house, huh…? That would explain the smell," she murmured under her breath, wrinkling her nose at the pungent odor in the air. The voices came from beyond the wall by her bed, two sets of footsteps walking slowly across the wooden floor while they argued. Turning her head, Danielle watched as the two came into view. One was a somewhat heavyset tan-skinned Hylian woman garbed in the clothing of a tavern keeper, her dark red hair pulled up and peculiar small jewelry around her eyes. Beside her stood a considerably shorter Hylian, pale and hunched-over, his glasses thick and causing his eyes to appear abnormally large. "Telma?" Danielle spoke up now, eyes a bit wide.

The woman looked at her in surprise for a split-second before a warm smile spread across her face. "Well, it's good to see you awake, honey. I was worried when that young swordsman brought you in and you weren't moving. Afraid you were still in the castle when those beasts attacked, too."

Grumbling, Doctor Borville turned and shuffled off without a word, casting a backwards glare at Danielle. She pulled the covers off of her, swinging her legs over the side of her bed. About to stand, she was stopped by Telma laying a hand on her shoulder. "Stay here and rest some more, sweetie. I'm about to leave to take a young Zora child to the shaman in Kakariko."

"Kakariko?" The Bridge of Eldin was now missing the middle section of it, and the bridge out of the east gate was also destroyed. The only route would be out of the west gate through the lands of Lanayru and Faron. "There are many monsters out in that path you'd have to take… I'll go with you. You'll need help."

Telma smiled but shook her head, removing her hand. "It's too dangerous for a child like you, Danielle. I know you've tried to train under your brothers, but battles are ugly affairs."

Rising to her feet, Danielle looked up at the barkeep, eyes burning with determination. "Telma, I'm not a mere child anymore. I can handle myself."

She paused, her eyes flickering down to the Champion Blade in its scabbard resting against the bed. It was a second before she shook her head once more, speaking in a quieter and more somber voice. "You're the only person from the castle I've seen alive. Not a single knight, your family included, has come out of that castle. All the soldiers in the town have become nothing but cowards. If something were to happen to you, I couldn't quite forgive myself." Telma turned, about to head out, looking one last time at Danielle. "Just wait for me in my tavern, Danielle. I'll be back soon. My friends there will keep you safe and in good company." With this, Telma left Danielle standing there alone.

"I know she's worried, but she needs to believe in me," she scoffed, snatching up the sword and strapping her scabbard onto her back. "I can do this, I know I can… even if she doesn't believe it."

Her thoughts now drifted to the words Telma had spoken. She had no doubt that the swordsman who had brought her to Telma was Link and that he would help escort Telma and the Zora child she had spoken of to Kakariko. Despite the fact he was more than capable of protecting her, Danielle still wanted to help. Telma owned a tavern in the southern thoroughfare, a place her brothers frequented and often brought their little sister along to. The barkeep had treated her with motherly love, Danielle her favorite out of the four siblings. Because of this, Danielle felt she owed something to the woman, and so she made up her mind to aid them.

Ignoring the grumbling doctor, she headed out into the town itself. The doctor's building was in the eastern thoroughfare of Castle Town, the streets crowded with people. Oddly enough, most of the citizens seemed unconcerned with anything other than their own lives. There were a few soldiers roaming about, but she could tell by their gait that they weren't the most trained of guards or were enthusiastic about their job. As she walked through the crowds, she caught snatches of conversations amongst the townspeople.

"Not allowed into the castle? Why won't they allow any of us in? Where's the princess at?"

"The Zora child… I heard he was taken to the bar on the other side of the southern road…"

"Hm… Telma's always got her hands full…"

"All the guards are good-for-nothings! …but I heard Commander Greil and his knights were all wiped out."

"Have you seen that man in that green tunic like what the legendary hero wore? He can't possibly be from around here, dressing like that…"

"I heard Commander Greil's youngest daughter was found… they say she was near death when a swordsman brought her in."

Danielle stopped in the central plaza, gazing up towards Hyrule Castle. Princess Zelda was in there, Zant's captive until the evil man could be defeated. "So close, yet so far, as they say…" she murmured quietly under her breath. With a frown, she wracked her mind to think of what to do. The stables were not too far from here, the horses used by the cavaliers kept there. Cale's steed was among them, the same horse he had taught her how to ride on. With it, she would be able to catch up to Link and Telma.

_Everyone has told me that it is time that I make my own decisions… and that is what I will do. I will not just follow in the footsteps of others, but I will forge my own path._

Determination burning in her eyes like fire, she strode through the streets towards the stables, raising a hand to her necklace and brushing its surface gently. Despite the fact she was young, she walked with her head held high, ready to face what was ahead.

\--------------------------

"You sure you'll be able to handle Jaraci on your own?"

"Cale taught me to ride her many times. I will be fine, Aidan."

Danielle sat atop a powerful white horse, gripping the leather reins in her hands. The soldier who helped her to the saddle was a friend of her brothers and one of the lucky soldiers to not be in the castle when the monsters invaded. Although he wore a helmet that covered his face, his tone conveyed his feelings of worry. "Danielle… what about Blaine and the others? I know you were in the castle when those things came… so do you know if they're okay? I mean, you're usually always with them…"

Aidan trailed off, Danielle shifting in the saddle to get comfortable as her blue eyes flickered. "To be honest… I don't know, Aidan. I haven't seen them since. I barely managed to escape myself."

Aidan took a step back, falling silent for a second as he looked up at her. "Doesn't seem right sending out one as young as you, but I won't stop you. There are a lot of monsters roaming Hyrule Field now…" He paused then made his way out of the stable, holding up a finger to tell her to wait. Raising an eyebrow, Danielle sat there until he returned, carrying a bow and quiver of arrows in his hands. "It may not be the quality of Cale's bow, but it's served me well. If you're going out there on Jaraci, you may need something better to fight with. No offense, but you're a little too small to hit something with your sword on horseback."

Danielle couldn't help but grin at this, taking the quiver from him and strapping it across her waist so that it was on her left side before grabbing the bow in her left hand. She wasn't good with an over-the-shoulder draw, but she could manage from her hip. "I appreciate this, Aidan. I'll return your bow, I promise."

With a dry chuckle, he shook his head. "Keep it. You'll use it better than a coward like me ever could. I can't even force myself to step out of Castle Town for fear of those beasts. Yet you… you go to face them without a trace of fear in your eyes, like a true knight…" Danielle's smirk fell away at this, the soldier stepping back. "Go, Danielle… Go and fight to save our precious land!"

A focused look filled her eyes, the girl giving a curt nod before kicking the horse's flanks lightly to get her started off. Riding out of the stables, Jaraci galloped across a short stone path and came out right before the west gate. Night had fallen, the streets deserted except for a few guards who gave her curious glances. She rode across the short wooden bridge out to Hyrule Field, leather reins gripped tightly in her hands. Moonlight shining down on the field, Jaraci raced across the earth while her rider leaned forward.

Ahead, flaming arrows streaked through the night sky…

 


	13. To Conquer the Strategist

He rode atop a pure black steed of unnatural size and strength, its eyes burning like coals. His short, messy black hair waved a bit in the breeze, green eyes narrowed dangerously. At his sides were several mounted Bulblins, bows in the hands of the second rider while the first held the reins of the Bullbos they rode. Blaine drew his lance, raising it to the night sky. One Bulblin archer stepped forward with a longbow, notching a flaming arrow. It aimed not at the wagon, but farther ahead. As the arrow soared through the sky and hit the grass, the oil poured out in a semicircle to block the way to the gate caught aflame, a raging inferno springing forth.

The frightened neighing of the wagon's horses reached his ears, Blaine now pointing his lance at the target. Immediately the Bulblins surged forward, swarming in behind the wagon and its green-clad guardian. Blaine held his ground, watching as his plan was carried out flawlessly. The guardian had no time to even draw that boomerang that summoned the wind, firing arrow after arrow at his attackers. Soon, he and the wagon would be overwhelmed.

Unexpectedly, arrows shot one after another into the backs of the Bulblins, the mounted archers falling. Blaine growled, turning his head to the side and seeing his younger sister riding forward on Cale's horse Jaraci with a bow in one hand and the other reaching for more arrows. This was something he hadn't planned for. He had thought Danielle wouldn't be able to catch up in time, let alone be a skilled enough archer to take out the Bulblins. He lifted his left hand, a golden gauntlet with a clear crystal in the middle of the top covering his whole left hand. Clenching his hand into a fist, the strategist urged his dark steed forward. Zant had ordered Danielle to be retrieved, but the shadow king never stated she had to be unharmed.

\--------------------------

Danielle felt searing heat graze her left cheek, her hand grasping another arrow. Her attacker rushed by on the boar-like mount, the girl plunging the arrow she held deep into its rider's chest. "Link! How many arrows do you have left?"

The Hylian had dismounted Epona, taking arrows from the fallen archers while Danielle drew their attention. "Enough!" he called back, his blue eyes narrowed. Even with Danielle's help, a handful of riders remained, but their archer partners had been taken out. In one swift move, Link had notched an arrow and let it loose, striking the throat of one of the creatures. The flames illuminated the area, casting an orangish glow over everything as a young blonde girl in the back of the wagon looked out towards them with worry in her eyes.

"Watch out!" Telma shouted, also observing the battle from where she sat. Danielle snapped her head sideways to see the Bulblins fleeing but a black-clad knight riding forward past them.

"Blaine," Danielle growled, immediately recognizing her brother by the lance that he carried. "Hurry and get the wagon to Kakariko, Link!"

He nodded, running over to Epona and leaping into the saddle, pulling out his Gale Boomerang. As soon as it left his hand, wind wrapped around it and blew out the fierce flames in front of Telma's wagon. Not wasting a single second, Telma urged the horses on while Link unlocked the next gate.

Bringing Jaraci around, Danielle faced her sibling and notched an arrow. Quickly letting it loose, she frowned as it merely clanged harmlessly off Blaine's armor. She quickly drew another arrow, taking note that it was her second-to-last one, and aimed not at her brother but his steed. The arrow pierced deep into its chest, the horse letting out an otherworldly screech before abruptly bursting into darkness. Danielle was frozen in shock as that darkness took on a will of its own and slammed into her, feeling like a thick liquid that carried a piercing chill. The blow she took knocked her clear off Jaraci, the darkness covering her chest and part of her neck as it lifted her into the air. Her horse let out a frightened neigh, quickly racing away from the strange creature that had attacked its rider.

"Amazing, isn't it? Perfect for following people in secret, too. It was how I managed to track you so easily and send Cale and Rurik right to your location. Pure darkness, animated by the power of Animus." Blaine slowly walked forward, a humorous look on his face as he held up his gauntleted left hand. "Argyris is indestructible, all weapons useless against it."

"What, you had to send this thing to find me? Guess you aren't that bright, or else you would have figured out where I was each time we returned light to the provinces!" Her philippic tone caused irritation to cross Blaine's face as she glared down at him. The strategist motioned with his left hand, Argyris slamming her hard into the ground and pinning her there while Blaine crouched before her.

"Seems you've even developed a sharp tongue, Danielle." His gauntleted left hand grasped her by her chin, Blaine jerking up her head so that her eyes met his. They were cold and calculating, the eyes of a deadly and efficient strategist concerned only with accomplishing his mission at any cost. "My plans were perfect. I just failed to take into the account the possibility of you using your power or actually turning down Rurik's offer."

"Seems to me that they weren't as perfect as you thought, then." Danielle narrowed her eyes, the oily darkness wrapping tendrils slowly about her arms and numbing the skin with cold. "I'm not a child, Blaine, and I'm no fool. I've changed." She released the bow she held, both hands resting on the cool grass. Argyris flowed over most of her body, keeping her pinned and immobile, unable to reach for her sword. "You may be my brother, but I won't hesitate to fight you. I can defeat you and your twisted creation!"

At this he laughed, releasing her jaw and rising to his feet. "With what? Your power? Do you even know how to control it or why you have it?" Danielle paused, her eyes never leaving Blaine's face. He turned his back to her, still chuckling a bit. "I guess she hasn't told you anything at all, has she? She's just using you as a pawn and never revealing the truth, manipulating you every step of the way."

"If you're trying to turn me against the princess, it will not work, Blaine." She gripped her right hand into a fist, fighting against the powerful darkness wrapped around her arm as she began to reach up towards her back. "I almost fell for Rurik's lies before, but I won't make the same mistake again!"

Blaine looked over his shoulder, his expression quickly changing to one of amazement. Danielle was fighting against Argyris and winning, her hand managing to grasp the hilt of the Champion Blade and drawing it from its scabbard. Channeling her power into the sword, brilliant light shot along the steel. An inhuman screech of anguish filled the air, the darkness instantly releasing her and darting off, much to Blaine's dismay. He immediately raised his hand, Argyris sliding along the ground and wrapping around him slightly. As Danielle rose to her feet, a sickening stench of something burnt filled her nostrils, but she didn't drop her guard. Apparently the light had harmed the twisted creation, causing it to disobey Blaine's orders for a second to save itself.

Her brother turned his cool emerald gaze back to her as he gripped his lance Malte with both hands. "So, you  _do_ know how to use your powers after all. Maybe I was wrong about you. But you still don't know the significance of them." Blaine pointed his lance at her while Danielle stepped back and held her sword out in front of her with both hands. "But I wonder just how much control over them you really have." Moving swiftly, Blaine lunged forward and brought the tip of his lance around in a swing at her head, Danielle leaning back to avoid the strike. Straightening herself, she ducked down and swiped the back of Blaine's leg while diving past, rolling and coming up in a crouch. The moonlight illuminated a slight stain of crimson on her sword as Blaine hissed, falling to a knee and holding the back of his right leg.

Danielle quickly turned to face Blaine, seeing a mass of darkness shooting towards her face before everything turned pitch black. Argyris had leapt forward from Blaine and wrapped around her head and neck, squeezing her neck slowly in an attempt to suffocate her. She kept her mouth shut tight, for if she opened it, there was no telling that the dark creation would do. Collapsing to her knees, she used her left hand to try and pull the oily darkness from her face, but her its body slipped through her fingers like water. If she didn't do anything, the unnatural being would incapacitate her and leave her as easy prey for Blaine.

A metal-covered hand latched onto her left wrist, Blaine's chuckling muffled and barely audible to her. He was taunting her, waiting for her to succumb to the lack of oxygen as he prevented her from trying to pull away Argyris with the hand wearing Animus…

_Animus… it brought this thing to life…_

Knowing this was the only chance she had, Danielle grabbed her sword tightly by its blade and brought it up, thrusting the tip as hard as she could into Blaine's arm, managing to hit it despite being blinded. As soon as he released her wrist and yelped in pain, she grabbed Animus and pulled it off before he could clench his hand into a fist. As soon as it came off, the darkness around her face released her and fell away, dissolving into thin air and leaving no trace behind. Gasping heavily for air, she stumbled away from Blaine and watched as he held the crook of his arm, crimson flowing from an opening in the armor. He glared furiously at her, letting out a cry of rage as he charged and lunged at her side with his lance. Danielle dropped Animus and sidestepped, using her left arm to wrap it around the lance while slamming the pommel of her blade at his jaw. He grunted, releasing his lance as he sunk to his knees and clutched his face with his right hand. Tossing away Malte, Danielle stared down at her defeated brother as he hissed in pain through clenched teeth. "Give up, Blaine… You don't have a chance of winning."

Too late she saw the smirk at the corner of his lips, pain ripping through her right shin as her scream filled the night sky. Blaine had taken the final arrow from her quiver when she struck him in the face, and his left hand had plunged it deep into her flesh. Crashing to the ground with tears of pain in her eyes, she wrapped her left hand around the injury. Her brother made his move as a tiger pouncing on wounded prey, his left hand going to her throat. "No, you are the one who has no chance of winning, Danielle." A savage grin was on his face as he throttled her. "And when you awaken again, you will be kneeling before the king of shadows!"

Her hand wrapped tightly around the Champion Blade's hilt, the strength the spirits blessed her with filling her. "Sorry, brother," she managed to gasp out with narrowed eyes a second before she slammed the hilt as hard as she could into the side of his head. An expression of shock crossed his features one last time before Blaine crumpled sideways to the ground, knocked unconscious by the blow. Danielle gasped a bit for air once more, having barely recovered from Argyris trying to suffocate her before Blaine did the same. The sharp, stabbing pain in her leg made her want to whimper in pain right there in the middle of the field.

_Have to get to Kakariko before Blaine wakes up…_

Danielle returned the Champion Blade to its sheath, whistling to Jaraci. The horse trotted over, neighing worriedly and pawing at the ground with her hooves. "I'm okay, Jaraci… I'm okay." Grunting, she put her left knee under her and crawled over to where she had dropped Animus and Malte. Even the slightest movements of her injured leg brought fresh spikes of pain, her teeth gritted tightly while she used the lance to support herself and rise to her feet. Gasping, Danielle quickly grabbed onto Jaraci's saddle and struggling to stick Animus in the leather pouch tied to it. That was when magic shot into both weapons and caused them to disappear right out of her hands. "Ah?" Startled, she shifted her weight to her good leg and looked around quickly until she spotted the unmistakable shadow form of Midna.

The imp floated there with her eye narrowed, an unreadable expression on her face. Her eye flickered to Blaine before going back to Danielle, who had finally pulled herself into the saddle with a grunt of pain. "Getting yourself into trouble again, eh? I'm not at all surprised." Danielle frowned, not saying anything in reply. The arrow was still embedded in her leg, as she didn't want to risk pulling it out right now. With no way to treat the injury and the chance of damaging her leg even more by pulling out the arrowhead, it was best to leave it in and deal with the pain. She peered down at the injury, grimacing before looking forward and jumping in surprise upon seeing Midna right there in front of her. "Thanks," she spoke, causing Danielle to stare at her in surprise. "Thanks… for saving Link back there."

It took a few seconds for Danielle to respond, grinning wearily. "I couldn't very well let the hero die, now could I? He's the one who's supposed to save Hyrule and defeat Zant." Closing her eyes, she let out a soft breath, sitting up straight in the saddle and taking the reins in hand.

Midna seemed to be thinking about something, glancing once more at Blaine. "About earlier in Kakariko, I…" She paused before shaking her head, diving down into Danielle's shadow and leaving her statement unfinished as a cool night breeze blew across the field.


	14. The Tables Turn

Danielle rode Jaraci into Kakariko Village, the moon hanging overhead and softly illuminating everything. She saw Telma's wagon stopped outside of the inn, the tavern keeper herself nowhere in sight. Epona was also nearby, and Danielle pulled Jaraci up to Link's steed before carefully dismounting and leaving a hand on the saddle to brace herself. "I guess you are off to find Link?" she asked of Midna, only to be answered by silence. Apparently the imp had already left.

_Was she going to apologize about what she said earlier when we sought to restore light to Eldin?_

A slight frown crossed her face, her thoughts turning to Midna's icy attitude. Needless to say the imp didn't like her all too well, but why? What secrets were Midna hiding? Her goals and motives were unknown, and Danielle couldn't shake the feeling that they were but pawns for the strange being. "Pawns in a game we cannot even begin to comprehend," she murmured under her breath.

"Danielle! Why did you come out here? I told you to stay in town!" the familiar voice of Telma shouted, causing the teen to lift her head. Telma rarely yelled at people unless she was  _really_ upset. Apparently now was one of those times. Danielle glanced sideways, the barkeep already down the steps of the porch and striding over to her with concern on her face. She turned slightly from Jaraci just in time to be wrapped in a warm embrace. In a matter of seconds she was released, Telma gripping her gently by the shoulders. What anger had been in her voice was nowhere on her face. "Are you okay, honey? Were you hurt?"

Taken aback by the hug, it took her a moment to respond with a nod. "Got me in my leg…" Telma looked down, cringing before wrapping her arm around Danielle's waist and slinging one of the teen's arms around her shoulders, helping her to the wagon. With the older woman's aid, Danielle managed to climb into the wagon and sit down with her back against the side and her legs stretched out in front of her. Pain ripped through her leg as Telma turned it slightly to get a better glimpse of the injury, an involuntary cry escaping Danielle's lips. A lantern hung inside of the wagon, giving the barkeep just enough light to see what she was doing. "I figured it would not be a good idea to pull out that arrow myself back there. It's in pretty deep."

The flickering flame cast dim light on part of her dark-skinned face, Telma's eyes focused on the arrow. "You're quite right about that. Did one of those beasts get you?"

_I can't tell her Blaine did this. She'd be heartbroken to know her favorite patrons have been attacking their own sibling,_ she thought to herself before nodding. "Yes… I didn't take it out fast enough before it shot me," Danielle murmured, hating having to lie to Telma.

Frowning, she gripped the arrow by its wooden shaft, lifting her head to stare Danielle in the eye. "Ready, sweetie?" Danielle nodded, clenching her hands tightly into fists as Telma began to pull out the arrow, a scream of pain filling the air…

\--------------------------

She had been resting in the back of Telma's wagon, the tavern keeper tending to her bandaged leg before trying to catch a bit of shut-eye herself. The night passed slowly for Danielle, nightmares awakening her often from her troubled sleep, the malicious visages of her brothers haunting her dreams. Early in the morning, before the sun had even risen, Danielle was awakened not by nightmares, but by the quiet murmur of voices outside of the wagon. Her eyes flickered open, the young Hylian taking note of the fact that Telma wasn't inside. Still lying on the blankets that served as a makeshift bed, Danielle listened to the low voices.

"I worry for her, Renado. She is still a child. Every time I see her, I recall when I walked into that room and saw a fragile and sickly little girl lying there alone while her family was off in war. She has no mother, you know. Dead at the hands of that same illness."

At this Danielle sat up, recognizing Telma's voice instantly. It was easy to tell the barkeep was talking about her, but why? And what sickness? She didn't remember ever being sick like what Telma had described. Then again, the war had been ten years ago. At the time, she would have been four. "But she cannot be treated as a child forever. She must be allowed to forge her own destiny," Renado's softer voice replied. "I am well aware of what she suffered, as you delivered her to me at the risk of being attacked by the bandits who terrorized the plains."

"You know, thinking back on that day… the guard who came to get me said the princess pleaded with him to find some way to save the poor girl. Princess Zelda was taking care of Danielle entirely on her own while she was having to endure taking charge of the kingdom during the war. Wasn't right, having to lose both parents at that age. Remarkably strong, just like the king and queen."

Silence filled the air for several seconds before Renado spoke up once more. "You care much for this child, Telma."

"Have to be a fool not to see it. That poor girl never knew her mother, and her father and brothers were off fighting when she was little. That girl needed someone to be like a mother to her when all she had left were a bunch of rowdy fighters." Danielle turned her head just slightly, eyes widening at this. Someone like a mother to her? Was that why Telma was always so kind and loving to the noble child? "I love that little girl. I see myself in her at times. That's why I don't want her out fighting and getting hurt."

Telma was moving towards the front of the wagon now, Danielle lying back down on the blankets as she closed her eyes. She did not want to be caught eavesdropping…

"Hmph. That child is a fighter, Telma. When I see those eyes, I see a just and courageous warrior focused on her goals. Do not try to hold her back, for she is not your child."

This time Telma didn't answer, Danielle hearing her pull herself up to the driver's seat. Heavy footsteps approached the wagon. "I'm going to go ahead and return to town. Should be safe this time around with a Goron as a guard." With a jolt, the wagon began to set off back towards Castle Town. Danielle sighed softly, turning her thoughts from the conversation she overheard to what she should do next. Link would likely be hunting down the last Fused Shadow, and Danielle's father was carrying the last of the sealed weapons. He would be the hardest to defeat, but there was no other choice but to fight him.

A hand gently brushed her forehead, causing Danielle to open her eyes. Telma had reached back to stroke her hair, smiling warmly. "We're heading home now, sweetie. Just rest and try not to move that leg of yours."

Danielle paused for a minute, thinking. She wanted to head to Lanayru's spring and wait for Link to return from wherever he was at. "Ah, Telma… I need to go to Lake Hylia."

She turned her head to the side in order to look back at Danielle, one eyebrow raised. "Lake Hylia? With your leg in the shape it's in?" Danielle remained silent, continuing to gaze evenly at Telma. Finally, she relented and let out a heavy sigh. "I guess Renado's right. I see that same look in your eyes he mentioned. Alright then, I'll bring you to Lake Hylia, but promise me you'll stay out of trouble."

Smiling at this, Danielle nodded. "I'll be careful, Telma. Thank you."

"You're welcome, but I'll hold you to your words, honey," Telma replied, smiling a bit herself. "And when you get back to town, drop by my place. There's some friends of mine I'd like you to meet. They're all fighting to return order to Hyrule when so many have lost hope. Seeing that look in your eyes, I think you'd be perfect to help them…"

\--------------------------

"Walk on the leg you had an arrow stabbed through by your older brother the day before. Brilliant idea," she hissed under her breath, limping along towards the entrance to the spirit's spring. Several times she had to stop and take the strain off of her injured leg, the wound throbbing sharply beneath the bandages. "Next time I'll be sure to let it something heal before I walk on it, let alone take a swim in Lake Hylia."

Danielle stepped into the spring, looking around slowly to see if Link had arrived. "Guess he's still off looking for that piece. He should be back soon, though… I hope." She sighed, contemplating if she should just go ahead and sit down to wait while her clothes finished drying off when a chill ran up her spine suddenly. Particles of Twilight shot down to take the form of Link, the hero's back to her. As he went to turn, the black-robed figure that had invaded Hyrule Castle appeared out of thin air in the blink of an eye. Shock filled Link's face as he very nearly walked into the helmeted king of shadows, Danielle moving to charge at the one who controlled her brothers and father with his dark magic.

In an instant, everything went wrong.

_Sching!_

Danielle both felt and heard her sword being drawn by someone behind her; before she could even turn her head, a sharp pain ripped through her stomach. Time seemed to slow down, Link crying her name while his voice sounded very far off. Slowly looking down, her sapphire eyes fell upon a bloodstained sword impaled through her stomach. It was her own sword, the Champion Blade, and her attacked leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"Hello, Danielle…"

_Father…?_


	15. Sacrifice

Danielle felt the sword being jerked out of her chest, the pain intensifying as her legs gave out from under her, the wounded young girl collapsing to her knees on the soft grass. Unable to focus, she was unaware of Zant forcing the light spirit Lanayru beneath the spring's waters until she found herself once more in her dragon form, Twilight overtaking the world of light once more.

Greil circled around to her front, Exaccus held in his right hand and the Champion Blade in his left. Clad from head-to-toe in demonic black armor, she couldn't even see his eyes as she raised her head weakly. This wasn't a human. It was a demon, cold-hearted and bloodthirsty.

_He… attacked me… he really attacked me… Am I… going to die?_

Shapes shot through the air, the weapons of her brothers landing in a loose circle around her. She could make out Zant standing before Midna, who was bound in the air by unseen magic. Link was lying on the ground motionless not too far away, having been hit by an attack from the helmeted figure. Zant had apparently taken both the Fused Shadows and the sealed weapons from Midna with ease, mocking her right now while Greil stood over her.

"Rejoice, my daughter… for you have finally become of some use." Danielle turned her gaze up to Greil once more, vision heavily blurred. All she could make out was a giant black figure there. The horrendous pain prevented her from moving or thinking straight, but she was able to make out the voices of Zant and Midna.

"This power is granted to me by my god! It is the magic of the King of Twilight, and you  _will_ respect it!" Zant suddenly roared, causing Danielle to flinch and look his way. The part of his helmet covering his mouth had retracted, revealing strange pale skin and a disgusting mouth. He lowered his voice, continuing on as Greil just stood there silently. "My Midna… Did you forget? Those beasts are two of the light dwellers who oppressed our people. No matter how much you may desire otherwise, you will never be more than a shadow in their world. You cannot consort with their kind! But if we can make their world ours, Midna…light and darkness will meet at last. Our tribe will take back their realm…and sweet darkness will blot out this harsh light! And that, Midna, is why…" He leaned his head forward until it was right near Midna's, his voice dripping with venom. "I need you. Not just for me, but for all of our people…Lend me your power."

Midna narrowed her eye, gazing at Link for a second before looking to Danielle. She was still gasping for air, blood flowing from the wound as she met the imp's gaze. Resolve filled that inhuman eye as Midna turned her face from Zant in rejection, the dark ruler stepping back. "So be it… I will return you to the light world you covet!" He didn't even have to motion with his hand, his powerful magic pulling up Lanayru from the depths and dispersing the Twilight.

On her hands and knees before Greil, her skin pale and her entire body trembling, Danielle watched as in an instant the Champion Blade shattered, shards of its steel blade falling to the grass. There were flickers in the crystals of the weapons around her before agony overcame her. Her body felt as if a thousand set of claws ravaged it, every ounce of her strength slipping from her body like a stream of water. Head raised to the sky, she let out a ragged scream that drowned out Midna's. A young girl whose very life was being ripped from her body, and a shadow being exposed to the light of a great spirit…

The pain stopped as suddenly as it began, each breath a struggle as darkness crept forward from the edges of her vision. Her body barely clung to life, the thick fog that settled in her mind making her unable to think at all. With the last of her strength, she managed to utter out one final cry before pitching forward to the ground. "P-Prin…cess…"

\--------------------------

Greil held up Exaccus, the once-clear crystal now filled with clouds of black. The blade pulsed with power, as did the other five weapons. Smirking cruelly beneath his helmet, Greil kicked Danielle over onto her back before looking over his shoulder at Zant. That troublesome light spirit had transported Link and Midna away from the spring, but had left the nearly lifeless Danielle there. Zant seemed to be indifferent to this, approaching Greil while summoning Durandal to him. "Their sacred power is unleashed, and Midna will bother us no more." Turning the sword over in the air before him, he examined the fiery red crystal on it. "This power… my god will surely be pleased with this. You have done well." With a snap of his fingers, the five weapons vanished. "The last preparations must be made. Do as you wish with the mongrel."

Saluting, Greil watched Zant teleport away before crouching to grab his daughter roughly by her pale neck. It was a miracle she still even lived, clinging tenaciously to life. But soon that wouldn't matter. Her own life now powered the sacred weapons, leaving nothing more than a nearly-empty shell. "The last word you spoke was a cry to your princess," he growled, caring little if she could hear his words or not. "If you care so much for that powerless royal, then die in her arms…"

\--------------------------

Princess Zelda felt an icy hand clutch her heart as she stood at the window, staring out across the dark land. She knew something dreadful had come to pass, for Twilight had fallen briefly over the Lanayru lands before lifting, being replaced by dark storm clouds. Did something befall Midna, Danielle, and that other Hylian? Her heart told her yes, and it did not often steer her wrong.

The chamber door opened behind her, but she did not turn to look towards it. Heavy footsteps, unmistakably Greil's, filled the air, but he said nothing to her while she never acknowledged his presence. Something was tossed to the floor before Greil turned and left, leaving the door open just a crack as he proceeded down the tower's staircase.

Turning slightly, her blue eyes fell upon the motionless body of Danielle lying there on the cold stone. Unable to suppress her gasp of surprise and worry, Zelda strode to Danielle's side and carefully lifted her up to place her on the bed in the room. The first glimpse of the wound sickened the princess, who adverted her gaze and looked down at the noble child's face. One would think she was dead at first glance had it not been for the slow rise and fall of her chest with each strangled gasp and the still-bleeding injury.

_This may be out of my power to heal. How did this happen? Where are Midna and the chosen one?_

Zelda placed a gloved hand on Danielle's forehead, worry filling her eyes as she frowned. What little life remained was slipping away, the young girl's condition worsening. She would not last the night at this rate. Greil had brought her before Zelda as an example to the punishment those who defied Zant received. "Danielle, forgive me," she whispered. "I thought you would be safe… but my actions have resulted in this." Closing her eyes, she held in the sorrow that filled her heart, trying to focus instead on what she could do to help.

The sound of claws ticking against stone reached her ears, Zelda lifting her head to see the wolf from before entering the room. On his back sat Midna, even though she couldn't exist in the world of light. The imp's normally orange hair was a strange blue color, her flesh inverted in color with mostly a sickly grey and patches of black. Princess Zelda realized that she was dying, and her companion had been forced into his wolf form by some unknown power.

Midna's eye flickered to the fatally wounded young Hylian, her gasps for breath weak before she slid from Link's back and to the floor. Zelda turned and knelt by her, the dying imp looking up at the princess. "Please… Please tell me… How do we break…the curse on this one? This…is the one… You need him…to save your world! No… not… not just him… Danielle… That's why… Princess… Please… You must help them…"

Zelda bowed her head slightly before raising her gloved right hand and pointing it towards Link, observing the strange magic that held him in this form. The power chilled her to the bone, an evil taint filling the Hylian's body. A golden crest glowed briefly on the back of her hand, the crest of the Triforce appearing with the lower left piece brighter than the others. "What binds him is a different magic than what transformed him when he first passed the curtain of Twilight. It is an evil power." She lowered her hand, gazing down at Midna. "Our world is one of balance… Just as there is light to drive away darkness, so, too, is there benevolence to banish evil. Head for the sacred grove that lies deep within the lands guarded by the spirit Faron. There you will find the blade of evil's bane that was crafted by the wisdom of the ancient sages…the Master Sword. The Master Sword is a sacred blade that evil can never touch." The princess turned her head towards Link, who was listening intently. "Evil cloaks you like a dark veil…and that blade is the only thing that can cleave it. Link… Hero sent by the goddesses… Like you, I have been granted special powers by the goddesses…"

Midna winced slightly, her eye flickering towards the bed where Danielle laid. "What… about her… can you… help her?"

Closing her eyes, the princess shook her head slowly. "The sealed weapons have been unleashed at the cost of her life… I cannot heal this injury."

A regretful look came to Midna once more, the imp looking back at Link. "Then… there is no… way to help her… Fine… Link… You can… You can get to the woods…on your own, right? Princess… I have one last request…" Zelda looked down at the imp, listening silently. "Can you tell him…where to find the Mirror of Twilight?"

Eyes flickering, Zelda stared down at Midna, a pang of guilt and sadness in her heart. "Midna… I believe I understand now just who and what you are… Despite your mortal injuries, you act in our stead… These dark times are the result of our deeds, yet it is you who have reaped the penalty." She took Midna's tiny hand in her own, closing her eyes. The princess knew what she had to do. There was only one way to save the lives of both Midna and Danielle. Crest reappearing on the back of her hand, soft light covered Midna's body. "Accept this now, Midna. I pass it to you… You know what you must do."

\--------------------------

Midna's single eye widened as she realized what was happening, her body floating in the air as the light from Zelda began to surround her. "No! Link!  _Stop her!_ " she shouted, but there was not enough time. Zelda stared up at her one last time before her body faded away, leaving only empty space there. The horrible pain she had felt was gone, and as she stared down at herself, she saw that her skin was its normal color once more. Why had the princess done this? Why make such a sacrifice?

" _You know what you must do."_

Those words echoed in her mind as she looked towards Danielle. She was fading quickly, and not much time remained. Zelda had given up her power to save Midna's life, but there was another sacrifice she had made, one that Midna needed to fulfill for her. Floating over to the bed, she stared down at the mortally wounded Hylian. Before, she had cared nothing about the people in this world. Danielle had been the one to learn that from Midna's threats and treatment of her. But that had changed after seeing Link risk his life so many times to try and help others and Midna while Zelda sacrificed everything for the imp. Now she found herself regretting the way she had treated her allies.

"Mm…" Midna peered down at her hands before placing one on Danielle's forehead and the other on her chest over her heart. "Now… is not your time to die, Danielle. We still need you…" Light slowly spread from her hands into Danielle's body as the young Hylian's features began to change.

\--------------------------

Outside of Castle Town, Midna and Link appeared in the field after warping. The imp looked back at Hyrule Castle as a diamond of strange magic covered it, blocking all access. It seemed that Zant had discovered they had snuck in and was taking measures to prevent that from happening once more. With a frown, Midna looked down at Link. "We left her where that Telma lady or one of her friends will find her, so she'll be taken good care of. We go back, Link! Back to Faron Woods!" He nodded slightly, setting off across the lush green field with Midna leaning forward on his back and holding onto him.

"Zelda… I've taken all that you had to give…though I did not want it," she whispered quietly, single eye narrowed intently. They would restore Link to his normal body and claim the blade of evil's bane. With it, they would make Zant pay for what he had done to them all.


	16. Veritas

She felt like she was drifting, unable to control her destination. Upon opening her eyes, all she saw was a vast sea of white light, not a single physical object in sight.

_Am I dead?_

Danielle stared down at herself, not seeing the injury she had sustained at her father's hands. If she was dead, then where was she?

_Remember…_

Everything suddenly changed with that single whispered word that came from seemingly everywhere at once. She was in the throne room of Hyrule Castle, the king of Hyrule seated there before her. His emerald eyes carried a weary gaze, elbow resting on the arm of the throne with the side of his face leaning against his fist. A trimmed brown beard covered most of the lower portion of his face, specks of grey appearing in both it and his hair beneath his crown. The only other person with the king was a much-younger looking Greil, who strode in past her and didn't even bother to kneel before the king.

_Father not paying respect to the king? And, for that matter, what am I seeing? The king died when I was but a child!_

"You summoned me?"

The king nodded, closing his eyes. "How does Cale fare?"

Greil raised an eyebrow slightly, apparently not expecting such a question after being summoned by his liege. "He is training hard to become a royal knight, but I still do not understand why—"

"My wife has given me another daughter," the king spoke, cutting him off.

Surprise filled Greil's face as he began to smile. "A daughter? I was not aware the queen was to give birth. I was under the impression that she was bedridden from sickness for many months. Congratulat—"

"The queen is gone, my brother, her life lost to deliver this child."

That smile froze, Greil stunned into silence by this. Danielle stared at her father in shock. Greil was the king's brother? He had never once mentioned it to Danielle or her brothers before, but why? And the queen had more than one child? She had heard of no such thing during her entire life in the castle.

After several seconds of silence, Greil finally spoke with a somber expression upon his face. "I am sorry for your loss, brother. Is there anything I can do to aid you?"

Opening his eyes once more, the king stared at Greil. It was obvious that he was enduring great sorrow, although he tried to hide it. "Take my newborn daughter and raise her as your own, Greil."

"But brother, I have already done so with Cale! Surely it would be best to raise her—"

"No!" the king shouted, sitting up straight in his throne and causing Greil to recoil. With a weary sigh, the king sat back in the throne and leaned back his head slightly. "No… My wife spoke of a vision before she passed, of dark times that would befall this fair land. Ancient evils will threaten to be released, and this child will fight to defeat them." He turned his head slightly towards Greil, frowning. "My enemies are numerous, brother. The Gerudo are threatening rebellion, their king ordering raids against our land. War will soon break out, and I fear that when it does, I will no longer be here. What I request is for the safety of all of them… Zelda is to take the throne after me, and our enemies will do all they can to eliminate her as well. This is the safest course of action to preserve the kingdom, as they would surely target any relatives of the royal family to get at the ruler."

Greil furrowed his brow, obviously having reservations about this. "What of Zelda? Surely she'll suspect something."

"Zelda is young. With time, the memories of anything suspicious regarding her mother's condition will fade, and she will never know of the existence of her sister."

"Brother, this isn't right! To hide this from your daughter is—"

"Enough!" the king roared, standing to his feet now. Greil fell silent in an instant as the king sighed heavily. "Enough. Leave me be, brother."

Greil closed his eyes and bowed, turning on his heel and exiting the throne room. The king sighed once more, shoulders slumping as he sat in his throne. "This is what must be done…"

Without warning, a strangely clad woman appeared beside the throne. She wore unfamiliar clothing, a lightweight steel chest piece accompanied by skin-tight dark blue and black shoulder guards, shorts, and shoes. Tall and muscular, her white hair and peculiar red eyes sent shivers up Danielle's spine. "The princess is a bright child, even at the age of ten. She will figure it out somehow."

"It is your duty to make sure that does not happen," he replied, raising his head slightly. "Do not mention a word of this to her, and make certain she does not discover anything."

"I understand, my liege." The strange woman looked past Danielle before everything faded to white. Confuse thoughts swirled about in her mind, but before she even had a chance to try and understand what she had witnessed, another scene played out before her. Within one of the castle bedrooms stood a young Princess Zelda, cradling an infant in her arms while humming a strangely familiar tune. The baby was wrapped in a white silken blanket, sapphire eyes peering up at the princess. Greil had entered the room, stopping in mid-strike while he stared in surprise at the princess standing there with his child in her arms.

"Princess? I did not expect to see you here. Are you not supposed to be at your lessons?" Greil questioned, one eyebrow raised. He was even more surprised that the young daughter of the king, now placed in his charge, was giggling and cooing in Zelda's arms.

"Ah, Commander Greil!" Zelda turned and smiled, still holding the infant. Despite that smile, there was a deep sadness in her eyes. The princess was grieving the loss of her mother so suddenly, and Greil himself had recently lost his wife to illness, leaving him reeling and in shock. "I am sorry for intruding, Commander. I heard crying, so I thought I'd hold her for a bit."

Greil paused, relaxing just slightly as he watched Zelda lower her head and whisper baby-talk to the infant, who giggled and reached up towards her face. "It is quite alright, Princess. I was just coming by to see how my daughter was doing. I am thankful that you came to take care of her."

Never taking her eyes off the infant, Zelda gently rocked her. "She's so precious, is she not?" the princess questioned, smiling at the child. "Such a charmer… Look at those beautiful sapphire eyes." The infant giggled happily, causing Zelda to do so herself. "Commander, you must be so proud." She leaned down her head once more, a lock of blonde hair slipping into the child's reach. "I think she likes me."

"Heheh, proud is quite the understatement, princess. Although I am surprised she has bonded with you so quickly. She's typically terrified of strangers." Greil was smiling faintly, but he was watching Zelda like a hawk.

"Really? Well, I think with us it was love at first sight," Zelda continued with a smile as the infant grasped at the hair and felt it with a tiny hand. "It's like we're sisters." With a grin, the princess brought her face to the child's and mumbled more baby-talk while an odd expression quickly crossed Greil's face, vanishing as fast as it had appeared. After giggling and feeling Zelda's face one last time, the infant began to tire and let out a small yawn, those little eyes closing. "Oh, someone's sleepy… guess it's time for you to go back to bed, little lady." Leaning down one last time, Zelda gently rubbed noses with the infant before kissing her forehead and setting her carefully in the crib.

At this the scene ended, everything dissolving into white as it had after the first scene. Danielle stood there, having all of the pieces of the puzzle in her head but unable to really believe the answer that was staring her right in the face. A daughter of the royal family sent to be raised by the secret brother of the king? The same being done for her brother Cale years before?

_Cale and I… The two hidden children of the former king and queen, and Cale and I are those children…! We… I'm…_

"A princess of Hyrule."

Danielle spun on her heel as the voice from before sounded directly behind her. Princess Zelda stood there in all her glory, her beautiful dress no longer hidden by that black robe and her face as kind as always. But it didn't seem real. It all seemed like some sort of dream.

_That's it… a dream… this all must be a dream… None of this can be true. There's no way I can be…_

Zelda smiled faintly, but there were no hints of what she was really thinking revealed on her face. "None of this is a dream, Danielle. What you saw were the memories I held dearest to my heart. On that day you were born, I had snuck into the throne room and overheard little of what my father spoke. I waited for a time before I decided to see you for myself." That smile widened, Zelda stepping up to Danielle and placing her gloved hands on the young girl's shoulders, squeezing gently. "When I first laid eyes on you, I loved you. When I held you in my arms, I knew. Princess Danielle… my sister."


	17. Awakening

Danielle stared in shock at Princess Zelda, her mind gradually processing the magnitude of this revelation. Everything changed, everything made sense. The truth had finally sunk in, the youth slowly coming to terms with this. "All of the time you spent watching over me, then… why you put such effort into teaching and training me…"

Still smiling, Zelda nodded. "The truth was known to very few. Those who knew of my mother's child believed it to have died and never spoke of it again. Fooling your brothers had been a difficult task for Greil, but he had managed even while shouldering the grief from his wife's death. All while they believed me ignorant of the truth, I knew more than most and took care of you."

Memories flickered through her mind, vanishing as soon as they appeared. She thought back on all the times that she had noticed Zelda there watching her spar with her brothers or catching her when she tried to skip out on her studies, occasionally helping her to get out of them with a mischievous smile on her face. How had the princess managed to live with such a secret and not reveal her knowledge of it?

_Father… is my uncle… and Blaine and Rurik are my cousins instead of my brothers?_

She paused now, her thoughts drifting back to what had happened in Lanayru's spring. "The blood of the royal family would break the seal… You were never the target. It was me."

Zelda nodded slowly, the smile falling away. "Greil knew the legend of the Champion Blade and probably informed Zant of it. I was too valuable to sacrifice, and so they hunted you down instead."

Danielle's hand curled slightly into a fist, anger rising within her. The memory of that horrendous pain she suffered was fresh in her mind. Without even thinking, she shot her hand up to grab Zelda's throat, tears burning in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?! If you knew what they wanted me for, why didn't you warn me about it before I left the castle?!" Her body trembled slightly, her breaths coming in short gasps.

Still calm despite the fact the youth had her by the throat and almost as if she expected this sudden outburst, Zelda never flinched and locked eyes with Danielle. "What would that have changed? Would it have made things any different?" Faltering, Danielle tried to come up with an answer. Seeing that she was at a loss for words, the princess continued. "You would have still fought to free your family and protect yourself from them. Such knowledge would have hindered you and distracted you from your goal. You were not ready to know, even before this. Young and stubborn, for so long you only wanted what you desired and not what was beneficial to the kingdom. When you finally began to change, I believed the time to reveal this to you was soon approaching." Sorrow filled her eyes, Zelda raising up her right hand and slowly pulling Danielle's hand from her neck and gently holding it in her own. "Fate had different plans. When Zant invaded, I knew that he would discover the hidden power of the sealed weapons. I asked Midna to take the Champion Blade and flee from the castle with you." Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and lowered her voice. "I did not expect Zant himself to appear before you along with Greil. I failed to protect you, and my mistakes very nearly cost you your life."

Danielle stood there in silence, the anger within her extinguished as Zelda held her trembling hand. The princess now released her hand, instead wrapping her arms around the young girl and resting her hand on top of Danielle's. In that one embrace, she felt all of the love Zelda had for her but was forced to keep buried inside. Regretting yelling at the princess and trying to harm her, Danielle closed her eyes and let the tears fall. "P-Princess… I…"

"Ssh… You need not apologize… I love you, Danielle… and I've given everything I have for you," she whispered, holding Danielle tighter. "I… am always with you."

\--------------------------

"Ever since that strange barrier appeared, the people have been growing anxious. Monsters, the princess missing… things are going downhill real fast, yeah?"

"Not to mention the guards in town have seemed to lose all of their nerve. Letting beasts roam the town streets? I must admit I share in your distaste for the soldiers, Ashei."

"Men empty of valor, I say. At least Ashei found Danielle out there. The guards are probably so brainless they wouldn't have known what to even do."

_I must have a record for being knocked out and waking up somewhere else,_ Danielle thought, stirring slowly as the sound of voices awakened her.  _Wait… that means I'm not dead?_

She forced open her eyes, lying in a bed in a rather dimly lit room. Every inch of her body felt sore, and a damp rag rested on her forehead. Somehow she had survived, but her stomach burned like fire. How did she end up here? She was last in Lanayru's spring, wasn't she? And for that matter, where was here?

"That girl isn't quite what I expected, Telma. I thought she'd be younger."

"She is, but I have no idea how she wound up this way. Without a doubt it's her, I know that. I'm guessing what turned her this way is connected with all of these strange happenings."

_Telma's bar? What're they talking about?_

"Strange times indeed… I still can't help but wonder where this child's family is. One would think that, given their reputation, they would be out here with us helping to fight to free Hyrule." The current voice that spoke, that of a young male's, was approaching Danielle's bedside. Her eyes flickered to the side, spotting a young Hylian man who looked to be around seventeen or eighteen. His garb was perhaps the most unusual Danielle had ever seen. Tan leather pants reached down to his kneecaps, his socks in white-and-peach diamond patterns with his shoes matching the color of his pants. His belt held several pouches, the buckle carrying a peculiar engraving. A white undershirt was mostly covered by a light pink vest, a dark purple jacket that reached down to his elbows just over that with a high color that reached up to his pointed ears. His light brown hair was neatly fixed, his large circular spectacles sitting on his face. As he walked, he was scanning the pages of a purple book he held with strange golden engravings on its surface and a dagger held in the pages. "But there has not been a single sighting of them… Perhaps we should—" he glanced up at her, stopping in surprise before turning to look elsewhere. "Telma, our guest is awake."

Telma almost immediately stepped into sight, relief filling her face as a wide smile crossed it. "Thank the goddesses you're alright, sweetie! We thought you'd never wake up." The young man closed his book, peering down at her slightly while stepping back. Right now, Telma looked as if she would have crushed Danielle in a hug if it weren't for the fact she was still recovering.

"Ah, Telma…" Danielle managed a weak grin, her voice raspy and strange as she spoke. It sounded deeper than usual, which confused her. Yeah, her mouth was dry, but would that affect her speech in such a way? "How… did I get here?"

"My friend Ashei found you and brought you here a few days ago. What happened to you?"

Danielle blinked slowly, gradually becoming more aware of her surroundings. The bar had a handful of patrons, but things were mostly quiet. Most of the people inside were at the back of the bar, sitting around a table with a map laid out on it. "Attacked… it was a surprise attack. I thought… I would die." Bringing up a hand to her face, she was about to rub at her eyes when she noticed something curious. Her hand seemed a bit larger and stronger than she remembered, as did the rest of her arm. "Ah…?"

Quick to notice her confusion, Telma did her best to explain. "Your whole body, Danielle… It's changed. You look like a grown young woman now instead of a child." At the incredulous look Danielle shot her, she merely shrugged and stood with her hands on her hips. "I was hoping you had some answers to this, but judging your reaction I guess that's not the case."

_This is impossible… my body looks like it's older? But Telma wouldn't lie to me about something like this… How did this happen though? First I survive being impaled upon my own blade, and now my body has apparently aged…_

Narrowing her eyes a bit, she glanced sideways at Telma, still lying there on the bed. "What about the wound? How bad is it?"

"Mostly healed, actually. Got quite a nasty scar, though. I treated it as best as I could." Telma sat at the edge of her bed, giving a slight nod to the young Hylian who had notified her of Danielle's awakening. He smiled and with a nod in return, headed over to the table with the map, joining a few other patrons. Sighing, the barkeep placed her hand on Danielle's head, a relieved look on her face once more. "I would give you quite a lecture about how you should have never left, but I figure you've been through enough. I'm just glad you're okay, honey."

Closing her eyes, Danielle just relaxed as Telma gently stroked her hair, gathering together her thoughts and the tidbits of information she had overheard. It had been days since what had happened in Lanayru's spring. If Link wasn't here, then where was he? And was Midna okay?

_That scream I heard… it was her screaming…_

Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and looked to Telma. "What about Link? Have you seen him?"

"He came by yesterday, actually. He met with the group while he was here and asked if we could get a blacksmith to repair a broken blade he had. As a matter of fact, I think it was yours." The look Telma gave her asked what had really happened back to her, but Danielle avoided saying anything. If she were to find out Greil had nearly killed her, the barkeep would be appalled.

"So he's okay…" Reaching up a hand, she slowly pulled the rag from her forehead and sat up. The pain in her stomach had lessened considerably, but she still felt somewhat weak. Telma rose and placed her hands on her hips, expression one of amazement and admiration. Apparently she had expected Danielle to be bed-ridden and too weak to move for considerably longer.

Danielle took another deep breath, relaxing her body and being careful not to move too fast as she turned her head to the side and stared at the table near the back of the tavern. Three rather odd people sat around it, the man who had announced Danielle's awakening among them. A man there wore a sword strapped to his back, dark green and white clothing, and brown sandals with a helmet masking his face. She guessed his clothing was Ordonan origin, and he sat with his arms folded across his chest. The other person was a human woman with strangely worn black hair. Her thick pants were dark red in color with a thick, long-sleeved grey shirt covering most of her torso. Unusual mint-green armor covered her entire left arm, her right forearm, and her midsection, with heavy metal boots of the same material reaching up to her kneecaps. At her side was a thin sword, and she leaned against the table with one hand examining the map. With how she was dressed, Danielle thought that perhaps she was a knight, but immediately dismissed the thought. She knew of no female knights within Hyrule's ranks. "Who might your friends be, Telma?"

At this the barkeep smiled, offering a hand to Danielle and helping the youth to her feet. She was now closer to Telma's height, and it took her a bit to get used to a body that felt so different. "These are the people I mentioned to you before, all fighting to save the land we love." As the two walked over to the table, the three people all turned their eyes towards the girl. "Rusl hails from Ordona, and he's quite a swordsman. Even trained your friend Link. He's a longtime friend of mine, and he came to help as soon as he recovered from the beating those monsters gave him in Ordon." The helmeted man merely chuckled slightly, although it sounded more like a grunt than anything before he nodded to her.

"Shad is a scholar interested in a race of Sky Beings who's frequented my bar for quite some time. Despite not being the strongest, his research has been invaluable."

The young man who Danielle had seen upon awakening smiled and bowed his head just slightly. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Danielle. Telma has told us much about your skills and bravery, and it's an honor to have you fighting by our side."

The final person, the young woman, glanced up at Danielle with an indifferent expression on her face while Telma spoke. "Ashei's father used to be a knight, but he left after a disagreement with his superior. Raised her like a son and trained her pretty well, too. She's one of the best fighters I've seen."

"Hmph." Ashei said nothing, seeming to give Danielle a cold shoulder. The youth blinked rapidly, wondering if she was like this to everyone or something while Telma went on.

"Danielle is Commander Greil's daughter. She's got a heart of gold and more courage than all the soldiers of Hyrule. She helped Link and I reach Kakariko to save the young Zora Prince's life." The barkeep motioned with her hand towards the three. "This is the group, Danielle… and we want you to join us to fight and free Hyrule."


	18. Rebirth

Danielle sat at the table, listening as Ashei briefed her on the current situation. Another member, Auru, was at Lake Hylia investigating strange activity within the Gerudo Desert, and Link had been pointed in his direction. A strange beast had been sighted in Zora's Domain lately, which had recently recovered from being completely frozen over. Rumors of an unusual set of ruins past the temple in Faron Woods had reached their ears, piquing curiosity. Hyrule was having a never-ending series of problems, and the soldiers were too overwhelmed to do any good.

_It's harder when you have knowledge of what is really going on but cannot reveal it._

"Before you actually do anything, it might be good if you had a weapon, yeah?" Ashei continued, a frown on her face as she glanced at Danielle. "We gave that sword of yours to a blacksmith in town to repair. You should go check to see how far along it is. Doric is the best in Hyrule."

With a nod, Danielle rose to her feet from the chair. Telma glanced over at Danielle, hands on her hips. "Doric is over in the western part of town, in an alley past the church. Just follow the racket and you'll find him."

Grinning, Danielle nodded her thanks and strode towards the door, stopping when the barkeep placed a hand on her shoulder. "Huh?"

The barkeep smiled warmly, but there was concern in her eyes. "I know you're trying to be strong, Danielle, but don't be reckless. You may be into something bigger than any of us, and I won't wrestle the truth out of you. Just don't die, honey. Okay?"

"I'll be careful this time, I promise." Danielle pulled away, giving her an encouraging grin before stepping out of the bar and into the town streets. The grin fell away as she sighed softly, shoulders slumping a bit. She could only imagine how worried for her safety Telma had been. "Loves me like I was her own daughter," she murmured under her breath, leaning back her head and staring up at the clear blue sky. "This time, I will make sure to not make her worry like that again about me." Closing her eyes for a few seconds to enjoy the cool breeze, she opened them and set off, passing through the crowds with a focused gaze in her eyes.

Proceeding through the southern thoroughfare, the youth entered the plaza and headed to the western part of the bustling Castle Town. Things seemed to still be mostly normal, although she noticed anxiety in the faces of most of the people as their gazes flickered nervously to the castle and that dark barrier. Rumors of the princess's fate swirled through the townspeople, most of them not exactly hopeful ones.

With a frown, Danielle turned to the right down a small alley past the church, spotting a wooden house a good bit ahead with smoke drifting lazily from the chimney. That had to be Doric's home, but there wasn't quite a ruckus as she had expected from what Telma said. Why was everything so quiet? Was he not home?

_No, not just from that place… there's no one else around here. And there's this ominous feeling…_

Reaching the heavy wooden door, Danielle paused outside and tried to peer in through the windows. They were shuttered, preventing anyone from seeing inside. "A blacksmith performing his trade inside a wooden building… perhaps not the smartest decision, but he has his reasons I suppose…" She raised her hand, knocking quickly with her fist while raising her voice. "Doric? Are you there?" The door swung open upon her knocking, revealing the empty interior. All of the smith's tools were out, the fire going strong in the forge. But where was Doric?

She stepped forward into the room, wood creaking underfoot for a few steps before she passed onto the stone floor around the forge and anvil. It was odd. The Champion Blade rested on the anvil, partially completed but still in pieces. Doric had recently been working here, but for some reason he had left. Why?

_Slam!_

Danielle jumped slightly, spinning on her heel to see the door now shut. About to step forward towards the door, she stopped when a wave of heat swept over her. Her blood ran cold, the Hylian slowly turning. There was a large demonic figure composed of flame, one claw reaching out for her. Skin seared by the burning heat, Danielle leapt backwards to put space between herself and the creature, its other fist slamming down into the wooden floor and catching it aflame.

_Something as powerful as this, an elemental… Animus!!_

The elemental roared and shot into the air, flames engulfing the ceiling as the fire on the floor spread quickly and took on a life of its own, creating a ring of fire around her that blocked off the way to the door. In a matter of seconds it had become unbearably hot, Danielle searching the room quickly for any sign of the gauntlet and its wearer. An open doorway was past a growing line of flames, a dark figure standing on the other side of the raging inferno.

Glancing up, she noticed the elemental reforming and reaching for her, Danielle sprinting forward and diving through the flames. She rolled and came up a crouch, shooting up her hands in the nick of time to catch the gauntleted fist about to slam into her face. Blaine stood there, dark armor replaced by loose-fitting leather armor. Instead of malice and rage, his eyes were empty and devoid of any emotion. The gem on Animus glowed amber, a dark force radiating from the gauntlet.

"Tch!" Danielle ripped Animus from his hand while leaning back and kicking Blaine's gut. He didn't even grunt as he stumbled back, eyes flickering for an instant before returning to that empty expression. But the elemental didn't stop. Its claw reached for her, the flames of its body seeming to lick at her, eager to devour her…

There was no other choice. She slipped Animus onto her hand, spinning on her heel and pointing the gauntlet at the elemental. Willing it to vanish, it roared and flailed about before falling apart, the flames joining the raging inferno. Smirking with satisfaction, she lowered her hand, only to suddenly double over in pain. A feeling of claws tearing at her insides forced her to her knees, breaths coming in strangled gasps, smoke causing her to gag and choke. The dark presence within Animus now attacked her, leaving her at the mercy of her brother as it tried to overpower her mind and take her for its own. All too late she realized that the forces within the weapons controlled Blaine, and now it sought to do the same to her.

_Is this… how it's going to end? No… I won't let it! I won't let it end this way!_

Warmth filled her cold hand, the pain receding, being pushed back by the power within her. She could almost feel the presence writhing in pain, but there was no time to dwell on it. Danielle knew she had little time before the building was completely consumed, stumbling to her feet and facing Blaine. A flash of silver caught her eyes, Danielle instinctively moving her head to the right. Pain seared the side of her face before it suddenly became freezing cold. Stumbling back, she touched the cut on her face and discovered the blood and flesh had been frozen.

"Lance of Ice… No wonder it's called that," she hissed. "Not even the heat stops it…" Blaine struck sideways with the lance tip, forcing her to duck even as the ceiling beams began to give away and fall to the floor. Embers burned her skin while she dodged the quick jabs, sweat rolling down her face. "Have to end this…!" Blaine lunged in, the shaft of the lance cracking across her jaw and resulting in a dazed stagger as she fell back against the wood. Cold steel pressed against her throat as the knight planned to strangle her, ice spreading from where the lance shaft touched her flesh. Either he would encase her in ice and leave her to burn to death within the structure, or he would sacrifice himself to kill her.

"Sorry, Blaine… not going to work!" Danielle yelled, throwing a powerful punch with Animus to the left side of his face. Blaine stumbled back and scowled deeply, about to plunge the tip of the lance at her chest when another loud crack caused him to look up sharply. A wooden beam had given way, crashing down into Blaine and pinning him face-down to the floor. Malte rolled forward and stopped against her boot, a groan of pain rising into the air.

Danielle panted, picking up Malte in her hand before crouching in front of her brother. "Blaine? Blaine!" She coughed violently, inhaling the acrid smoke as an icy pain spreading up through her arm as Malte tried to do what Animus had failed at. "Not now!" she growled, forcing the presence back with the powers the light spirits had granted her. Blaine's eyes flickered open, the young man dazed and confused. He groaned again, the roar of the flames making it hard to even hear him as the fire that engulfed the beam burned away at his back.

"Get… get out… save your…self…"

She grabbed the edge of the timber with her left hand, not daring to touch it with her unprotected right as she strained to lift it off her cousin but to no avail. "I'm… not leaving you!" she shouted, grunting from the effort. What was she supposed to do? She had freed her cousin, but was she now going to lose him to this inferno? "Goddesses, help me… I don't want him to die!"

_Crash!_

The window in the room blew inwards, an armored figure climbing in. Danielle squinted through the smoke that burned her eyes, recognizing the newcomer as Ashei. It took her a split second to observe the situation before joining Danielle, shouting over the roar of the flames. "On three!"

Danielle tensed up her arm, sliding Malte through the back of her belt before grasping the beam with her other hand, ignoring the burning pain. "One…" Ashei wrapped her armored hands around the other end. "Two…" Heart pounding in her chest, she felt a fresh wave of heat wash over her, flames licking at her body all around her. "Three!" She pulled at her end of the heavy beam with all the strength she could muster, lifting it up slightly as pain ripped through her arms. The two shifted the beam off of Blaine, dropping it as soon as they moved it away from his feet. Ashei wasted no time in picking up Blaine and moving towards the window. "Hold him and hand him down to me!" she ordered, handing Blaine off to Danielle before climbing out the window.

"Hang on, Blaine… We're almost out of this nightmare," Danielle murmured to him, grunting a bit as she struggled to lift him up and get him feet-first out the window. In order to avoid hurting his back even more, she turned him over and nearly gagged at the sickening smell and sight of his charred back. It took a few seconds to get him out of the broken window, but to Danielle it seemed like an eternity. Her knees were weak and stomach churning as the building finally began to collapse. "Ah…!"

"Danielle, jump!" Snapped out of her state of shock, willing her legs to move, she looked back at the raging inferno that sought to devour her one last time before sprinting towards the window and diving through. The jagged shards of glass that remained sliced into her, causing her to cry out as Ashei caught her in her powerful arms. Coughing and gasping, she trembled from her close call while looking back at the building, watching as the whole structure gave way. If it weren't for Ashei holding her up, her legs would have given out from under her right then and there.

_I freed Blaine, but at such a cost… The Champion Blade is gone, Doric is missing, and Blaine was nearly killed… can we really afford many more of these "victories"?_


	19. Reunion

"Ow!"

Danielle flinched as Telma used a damp rag to clean the soot from her face, the rag touching the cut on her left cheek and causing it to sting sharply in pain. The barkeep frowned but didn't stop, a stern and slightly annoyed expression on her face. "You just don't listen, huh?" she questioned. "I told you to stay out of trouble, and what do you do?"

"It's not like I purposely ran into a burning building looking for a fight!" Danielle protested before hissing slightly as Telma now began to use a clean part of the rag to work on the rather deep cut. A sudden, sharp burst of pain unlike she had felt before caused her to yelp and pull away, slapping a hand over the injury and feeling blood trickle from it.

Telma placed her fists on her hips, frown deepening and giving Danielle a look that made the youth wonder if Telma hadn't pressed down harder than needed on purpose. "Then why don't you explain to all of us just what happened in there? Ashei pulling you and your brother out of a burning building seems like you getting into trouble to me. And just where has your brother been all this time?"

"Mm…" Danielle bit her lip slightly, her free hand gripping her kneecap slightly. She lowered her gaze to the floor to avoid the stares of the rest of the group in the room, not sure what to say. She knew she had hidden a lot from them, but what was she supposed to say? That an evil dark being had plunged their entire world into twilight and turned the residents into spirits without them being aware of it, and that same figure had used her blood as a sacrifice to bring to live ancient spirits within the weapons her family had carried? Had she not seen it all herself, she would think it crazy and impossible.

"We know you're hiding something, yeah?" Ashei spoke up, walking slowly forward. It was hard to read her expression, but Danielle recognized skepticism and suspicion right off the bat in her heavy-lidded brown eyes. "I saw you fighting Blaine in there before I came in and got you both out of there. You might want to tell us what's going on before you lose our trust for good."

Danielle flinched once more, more from the fact that she was now backed into a corner than the pain of her injuries. Already she knew that Ashei wasn't too fond of her, and now the warrior seemed ready to just turn against the youth completely unless the truth was revealed. Even Telma still looked cross, and that was a rather rare sight from the barkeep. Defeated, Danielle only risked a short glimpse at all of them. Rusl's expression was unreadable behind his helmet, while Shad glanced up at her from over the top of his book every now and then. "I… alright… I'll try to explain what happened, but… my own knowledge is pretty limited of this." Keeping her gaze lowered, her mind churned to think up some explanation that wouldn't reveal too much to them… She didn't want to jeopardize Link and Midna's mission.

"All those monsters lately… they're the result of a powerful dark sorcerer. I don't know who, or what, he is. My family… they tried to fight him, but he was too powerful… With his dark magic, he placed a curse upon their weapons, forcing my brothers and father to serve his will. They're after me… Apparently removing their weapons from their possessions is enough to release them from the curse, and so that's how I managed to return Blaine to normal after that fight at Doric's… But Cale, Rurik, and Father are all still under that sorcerer's control, and I have to find them and release them before they do something terrible at the command of that sorcerer." She clenched her left hand into a fist, still not looking up. "I don't want anyone to get hurt because of them."

Silence reigned for several seconds as the group took this all in. Then, without a word, Telma placed her fingers beneath Danielle's chin and lifted her head so that the barkeep could look into her eyes, a warm smile on her face. "I guess you felt that because it's your family, it all rests on you to save them, huh? You didn't need to hide this, though." Wiping away the last bit of grime, she stepped back and stood with her hands on her hips once more, but that stern expression was now replaced by that heartwarming smile. "But you need to learn that you're not alone. We're here to help, too. The group is here to restore peace to Hyrule… and that includes setting free the few knights in Hyrule who have any real guts." At this her eyes glittered a bit with humor, although Ashei just gave a small snort in reply from where she stood against the wall with her arms folded.

_Well, at least that didn't go nearly as bad as I had thought it would… but it seems that Ashei still isn't too trusting of me. I guess I can't blame her, though… There's no way I can tell them absolutely everything about what had happened._

Taking a deep breath and feeling immensely relieved that they weren't going to interrogate her any further about everything, Danielle squared her shoulders and looked around the room at all of them. "I appreciate the help, I really do… In all honesty, it was pretty overwhelming thinking about having to go up against all of them just by myself."

With a wink, Telma played with the rag in her hands a bit as she headed to toss it into the basin behind the bar. "No need to thank us, honey. You're our friend, and we're more than happy to help. Just try to avoid hiding any more stuff from us, okay?"

"Uh… heh heh, okay. I'll do that, Telma." Danielle rubbed the back of her head slightly, feeling a bit guilty that she was still hiding some stuff from the motherly barkeep.

"With that settled…" Telma now took up her usual position behind the bar, leaning on the counter. "If we have to get rid of those weapons, then freeing them won't be too hard. Finding them will be the hardest part, though."

Ashei pushed away from the wall now, hand resting on the hilt of her blade. "Auru is supposed to return shortly, so I'll be setting out soon to scout Snowpeak. I've heard the way to the mountain is open, but some pretty strange stuff is going on up there, yeah?"

_Snowpeak, the mountain past Zora's Domain,_ she thought to herself.  _If Zant is up to something up there, then the chance of one of them being at Snowpeak is pretty likely._

"I'll go with you, then. If one of my family is there, you'll need all the help you can get in taking them down. They're already good with their weapons… and the dark boon they have makes them even deadlier than before," Danielle spoke up, rising to her feet.

Ashei paused, glancing sideways at her with a slight frown. "Do you even have any weapons to fight with?" she questioned, seeming just a bit irritated but mostly hiding it.

"Actually, yes, I do… I'll use Blaine's weapons, his gauntlet and his lance. But first I want to go visit him to see how he's doing, though, so I'll meet up with you in Zora's Domain after I'm done."

Pausing, the warrior merely shrugged and turned for the door, waving a hand slightly. "Then I'll meet you there, but don't expect me to wait on you forever." Without another word, Ashei headed out through the door of the tavern, leaving a dumbstruck Danielle wondering once more why the human wasn't fond of the young Hylian.

"Er… Is she always like that?" Danielle questioned, receiving a slight chuckle from Telma.

"Sometimes, but she's a good girl. She's just a little rough from being raised the way she is, that's all." The barkeep now tilted her head slightly towards Danielle, her smile fading slowly. "Now then… Go see how Blaine is doing. I'm sure he'd like having his sister there to check up on him. But… I've told you time and time again to be careful. If you go off and get yourself hurt again, I'll really let you have it."

Flinching, she instinctively stood up a bit straighter, nodding her head. "Yes, ma'am…" Telma smirked just slightly at this, motioning for her to head along. Danielle wasted no time in heading out, shooting a backwards glance at the bar and its patrons before striding out the door.

\--------------------------

Ignoring Doctor Borville's grumblings, Danielle sat at Blaine's bedside and watched him rest, noting the pained expression on his face. Bandages were wrapped thickly around his torso to cover his damaged back, his shirt removed and parts of his burned flesh peeking out from beneath the cloth of the bandages. The damage had been severe, and the doctor had states his opinion that a complete recovery seemed unlikely. To see the knight who had always been so strong in such a weakened state brought the sting of tears to her eyes. It was so unfair. Why did her cousin, someone she had known so long as a big brother, have to get so badly hurt?

"Danielle?"

Lifting her head, Danielle noticed someone step into the small room. "Ah, Link!"

The Hylian nodded, smiling faintly before he stared down at Blaine. "I paid a visit to Telma's bar and heard about what happened… How is he?"

Sighing heavily, Danielle ran a hand through her hair slightly, lowering her gaze. "Well, he's not dead, and he's no longer being controlled by the weapons, but it will be a long time before he recovers, if he even does." Her blue eyes stung slightly as she leaned back, gazing now at the wooden ceiling. "Went through all that, and now I don't even know if Blaine's going to pull through…" Feeling useless and frustrated, she shook her head and turned her attention now to Link. "What about you? Zant didn't hurt you guys too badly, huh?"

"Actually, we're both fine." The voice that spoke wasn't Link's, but Midna's. Much to Danielle's surprise, the imp popped up from beneath Link's shadow in her physical form despite being in the light world. Before Danielle could even open her mouth to ask how, Midna cut her off and explained. "The princess… she gave up her life to save the both of us." A remorseful gaze in her eyes, Midna stared down at her tiny hand, curling it into a fist. "Her power allows me to exist here, and her body is one with yours, allowing you to live despite the fact those weapons drained just about every ounce of life energy from you. That's why you look like you do now… your appearance so similar to that of Zelda's." Frowning, she lowered her fist and stared Danielle in the eye. "That was her request… before she gave up her life for us."

"I see…" Danielle lowered her head, hunching forward a bit with her elbows resting on her knees as she thought about this. That explained a lot, but did they have any idea of the heritage that had been kept a secret to Danielle herself until recently? "At least I know now… I was pretty confused when everyone kept giving me weird looks because I look a whole lot older. Not only that, but I'm a good bit stronger now, too…" She raised Animus slightly, staring down at its gold-plated surface as she reflected on all that had happened. Midna's gasp startled her, Danielle glancing up just in time to see the imp recoil slightly. "Huh?"

Midna stared at Animus, unsettled and baring her teeth. "Danielle, what are you doing with that thing? It contains powerful dark magic! You shouldn't be wearing it!"

"I know it does, Midna." She clenched her hand into a fist. "But it also contains my very life energy… I think that's what allowed me to control it when it tried to take over me after first putting it on. The same goes for Malte. I think I may be able to control them instead of them controlling me…"

Link wore a frown on his face, definitely not too keen on the idea of Danielle now possessing the cursed weapons. His head tilted slightly to the side, though, his eyes narrowing at the sound of approaching footsteps. "He's coming back," he hissed. "I think you caught his attention, Midna. Hold on." Link turned and hurried out of the room now, his voice drifting in through the open doorway from further down the hall as he began to converse with the doctor.

Floating over to Danielle, Midna placed a hand on her shoulder and lowered her voice. "You may be able to control that power… but you can't get rid of them, can you?"

Her smirk was devoid of humor, the weariness she tried to hide revealing itself. "You figured it out pretty fast… Didn't expect that." Shoulders slumping, Danielle lowered her head. "I feel like that power inside of it is calling out to me, even though I can control it. Maybe I'm not the one in control… maybe that power is keeping me from leaving the weapons behind, using me. I'm not a servant chained to their power, but their influence is rooted pretty deeply in me. I suppose the fact that my own life force was used to empower them makes it a bit rougher, too."

"Danielle…" Much to her surprise, Midna looked genuinely concerned. What was with her sudden change in attitude? Hadn't the imp always been scathing and uncaring? "Is all of this worth the risk of losing yourself to that evil power?"

Lifting her head, a resolute gaze entered her eyes. "If it means freeing my family, then yes, it's worth it. And once I find a way to seal these weapons again… I'll make sure no one will be able to get a hold of them ever again."

Midna tilted her head slightly, listening to the voices down the hallway before closing her eyes. "I see why the princess trusted you, wanted to save you… You're loyal to a fault, you know that?" She pulled her hand away, floating in front of Danielle with her back to the Hylian. "But be careful of that power, Danielle. Don't let it consume you. I'd hate it if we were forced to fight you." The imp glanced back at Danielle, her expression showing just how sincere her words were. Footsteps now approached, Midna diving down beneath Danielle's shadow to hide.

Rising to her feet, Danielle looked at Blaine's resting form one last time before Link entered, apparently frustrated by the doctor he had delayed. He quickly noticed Midna was nowhere in sight. "She's hiding?" he questioned, relieved.

"Mmhmm." Danielle folded her arms across her waist, deciding to not bring up their conversation with Link. Recalling what Ashei had told her, she cut to the chase. "You're going to Zora's Domain now, right? Telma mentioned you were also helping out the group, and Ashei went on ahead to scout Snowpeak."

Link nodded, motioning for her to follow. Keeping quiet, he said nothing until they exited into the eastern thoroughfare, speaking in a low tone. "Zant took the Fused Shadows and fled to the Realm of Twilight, breaking the Mirror of Twilight into four pieces. One of the pieces was still there in the Arbiter's Grounds, so that one is accounted for." He closed his eyes now, seeming to quote something. "One is in the snowy mountain heights. One is in an ancient grove. And one is in the heavens." He glanced sideways at her now, Danielle taking in the words he spoke. "If we're to defeat Zant, we must restore the mirror."

"Hm… Fix the Mirror of Twilight, huh? If it means defeating Zant, then you can count me in. I don't doubt that he'll be trying to use my family to stop you… so my task of freeing them might be easier if I tag along with you for a bit."

At this, Link smirked and nodded his head slightly. "Then we go to Snowpeak."


	20. Struggle at Snowpeak

Danielle looked around as her body reformed from the warp, recognizing the area as being just outside of Zora's Domain, a boat rental shack behind her. She heard Link warping in just above her, and Danielle had little time to react before something landed on her back and sent her crashing to the ground.

"What're you laying around for, Danielle?" Midna questioned, Link quickly stepping off of the Hylian with an apologetic look on his canine face. When he warped, Midna always reverted him to his wolf form. Danielle was just happy that no one saw her warp in.

"A little warning about Link appearing right on top of me would have been nice," she grumbled, receiving a playful grin from the imp as she brushed the grass off of herself. When she looked back at Link, he had returned to his Hylian form, the legendary Master Sword in a scabbard on his back. He still looked just as apologetic as before.

"Sorry about that… Midna has to have her fun somehow, I suppose." Link rubbed the back of his head while looking off towards Zora's Domain. "Come on, let's catch up with Ashei."

Nodding, Danielle jogged after him as they headed into the domain along the raised banks, the flow of the river relaxing her with its soothing sound. Upon entering the home of the Zoras, she was relieved to see that they were fully recovered from the domain being frozen over earlier. It felt strange to her, being here amongst members of the amphibian species. This was the first time she had stepped foot in her Hylian form in the domain. Never had she actually traveled outside of the castle, let alone to the territories of the other races. Glancing about curiously at all of them, she followed Link towards a rocky tunnel that was guarded by two Zora sentries. One of the helmeted Zoras glanced at them curiously. "More travelers? If you seek the human that came through earlier, she is through this passage. Be warned, as Snowpeak has grown far more dangerous than in times past."

Link nodded his thanks before continuing on without a moment's hesitation. A bit impressed by the hero's fearless attitude, Danielle followed close behind through the dark tunnel. Almost immediately the air grew frigid, snow beginning to crunch underfoot as light shone from up ahead. If it weren't for the fact she was so cold, she would have been amazed by the white land that stretched on before them, vanishing in a fierce blizzard. Shivering, her teeth beginning to chatter, Danielle couldn't help but wonder how Link was barely fazed by the cold, his focus instead on a figure a few feet ahead.

The figure wore a strange white-furred mantle that covered their chest with a rather strange helmet covered in the same fur, but the red leggings and heavy armor on parts of their body was instantly familiar. "Ashei!"

Glancing back, the person removed the helmet to reveal Ashei herself, snowflakes falling on her dark hair. "I wondered when you'd come, yeah?" Her eyes flickered to Link. "And I guess you came to investigate the mountain." She now turned her gaze to the raging blizzard. "I lived in the mountains for many years, but never has there been a blizzard such as this."

Danielle trudged through the snow to Ashei's side with some difficulty, trying to keep her teeth from chattering now while wrapping her arms tightly around her body. "Really? This doesn't seem as bad as it could be, though."

"No, not that." Frowning, Ashei shook her head. "Evil fills this mountain. This is far from a natural occurrence." Danielle pondered the meaning of this, realizing that her knowledge of this mountain was very, very limited. As she stared out into the distance, the human murmured something to Link while handing him a folded paper. "I'll keep an eye on Danielle and keep looking for the creature. Show that picture to the Zoras around here to see if they have any information on this creature, yeah?"

With a curt nod, Link slipped the paper into his tunic. "Take care, Danielle," he called back as he turned and headed for the domain once more, wasting no time at all.

"He's interesting, yeah?" Ashei commented, still wearing a frown. "His name always comes up when something strange happens." She pulled on the helmet, face now hidden once more. "Seems you know him well, too."

"Eh, know him well? Not really…" The frigid wind was intensifying, stinging her exposed skin. "Mm… Hey Ashei, what's with you always having such a bad attitude towards me? I mean, what did I do to get you so upset with me, huh?"

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds, Danielle shifting uneasily as she looked towards Ashei, still shivering from the cold. The human turned her head just slightly to look down at Danielle, making her shrink away just slightly as she felt Ashei's eyes glaring down slightly at her. Without warning, Ashei grabbed Danielle roughly and yanked her back. Her startled cry was lost to the howling wind, Danielle having no time to ask what was wrong as Ashei gripped her wrist tightly with her ice-cold gauntlet and lifted it up. A thin line of crimson ran down her snow-flecked arm, startling the youth. When had she been cut? "You didn't feel this?" Ashei questioned.

"I'm freezing cold… I can't feel anthing!"

Immediately Ashei released her arm and drew her sword, her head snapping sideways. Something in the air was different, Danielle could feel that. "This blizzard has changed… Something's here!"

Danielle blinked rapidly, slowly realizing what this mean. She already carried Malte in a leather strap on her back, which meant that this blizzard was being strengthened by something else: the Gale Bow, Mugre. "Ashei, it's Cale! He's here!"

Someone grabbed her shoulder, gripping it painfully tight. She already knew it was Cale without having to look, his other hand sliding over her mouth as wind gathered and formed an intense twister around the two. "Your little adventure ends here." No remorse. No emotion. Just cold, harsh indifference.

_I'm not going down like this!_

Drawing upon the power of Animus by focusing on it, she managed to disrupt the power of the tornado, the winds faltering. "Ugh!" Cale grunted, abruptly releasing her. Stumbling forward, Danielle spun awkwardly in the thick snow, seeing a blade jutting out slightly from his left shoulder. Ashei stood behind him, thin blade held in both hands, face hidden by her helmet. She stepped back, Cale never grimacing as he unslung his bow and held it in his left hand. He wore no quiver, but Danielle knew he didn't need one. "Watch out! He controls the wind with that bow!"

"You think her knowing that will make a difference?" Cale questioned, moving as if he was notching an arrow. The instant he released the string, a small but extremely powerful and focused gust of wind shot forward, ripping through the air like a crossbow bolt. Sharp pain tore into her shoulder, the air shredding the leather tunic. Somehow, that single bolt of air had even more powerful than a real arrow. Danielle clutched the injury and hissed in pain, the wind beginning to pick up once more and lessening her range of sight. The frigid air has just about numbed her completely, and if this wasn't finished quickly, she'd likely freeze to death in the extreme cold. "I know what you're thinking…" Cale's voice called out from the blizzard. "How long can the body survive before freezing?"

"Tch…" Danielle flexed her hand within Animus, knowing that a new plan was needed as she tried to squint through the raging storm. Her movements were sluggish, but Ashei seemed to have little trouble moving in the snow. Raising her left hand, she focused the power within the gauntlet as the wind ripped at her. Cale's focus was solely on her, and she would use that to her advantage. The wind around her died down gradually, instead swirling into a humanoid shape. The air elemental formed a blade of air and ice now, flying at Cale swiftly. Jumping sideways, he avoided the attack, only for Ashei to deliver a slice deep into his right arm. Crimson stained the pure white snow, Cale's arm now hanging limp at his side as he swiftly kicked the warrior away from him.

Danielle could just barely make out his appearance through the snowstorm, but she could see him looking down at the injury before glaring at the youth, his face finally displaying emotion. Frigid gusts ripped at her body, her limbs refusing to move as Mugre slowly came up, fierce winds gathering before it. "Goodbye, sister."

_So cold… I can't move!_

Ashei suddenly slammed into her, arms wrapping around Danielle as the human tackled her to the snow. The bolt of air that ripped through the space she had just occupied made an ear-rending screech, the attack one that would have been instantly fatal had it not been for the warrior. Cale didn't even need to use his right hand now, and his bow was leveled right at them.

"No!" Using what little strength she had left, the ordered the elemental to charge at Cale, the fierce winds of its body engulfing the knight. He struggled against it, the elemental weakening greatly. "Ah…! Hurry! Knock the bow out of his hand!" she shouted over the roar of the snowstorm.

Ashei wasted no time, rising to her feet and rushing forward at Cale, even as he broke free of the elemental and dispersed it. A flash of her blade and a thin line of crimson appeared from the center of his brow diagonally to just under his left eye. Before he could react, her left fist slammed into his chin in a fierce uppercut, and her sword slipped between the bow and its string. Eyes narrowing, she pulled the blade back and jerked the bow out of Cale's grip, Mugre landing in the snow.

Danielle clenched her jaw, feeling numb as she scrambled through the snow and snatched up the bow, aiming at Cale even as its dark tendrils began to creep into her body. Wind wrapped around the entire bow, focusing into an arrow shape. But as she aimed at her brother, she saw his eyes flicker, confusion filling his gaze. "D-Danielle? Danielle, help me!!"

Faltering now, her eyes going wide, she could only watch as her brother's body dissolved into Twilight particles. Her arm fell to the snow, each breath strained and bringing icy pain to her lungs. Cale had regained his senses, but something had forcefully warped him away. They had come so close to freeing her brother, only for the enemy to take him captive once more. That cry for help echoed in her mind, haunting her. Never had such fear filled his voice before.

Her blue eyes flickered weakly to Mugre, its dark power still creeping through her like icy tendrils. It didn't fight to control her as Animus did, but its power was now rooted deeply within her. These cursed weapons were powerful enough to control well-trained knights, but not her? What made her so different? She let her eyes close, feeling exhausted and numb from the freezing air.

The crunch of snow reached her ears before she felt powerful hands lift her up slightly, something warm and a bit furry being wrapped around her. She barely opened her eyes, seeing Ashei standing over her. She still wore her helmet, but she lacked the white fur mantle, which was now wrapped around Danielle's torso to try and warm her up. "Stay with me. You've been out in this cold too long, yeah?" With ease, Ashei lifted her up, her voice sounding a lot more gentle than Danielle had ever heard before. "I've got ya… Just stay with me."

Danielle just felt like curling up beneath the warm fur and sleeping, but she knew she couldn't allow herself to doze off even the slightest. "A-Ashei… Cale… he…"

"I heard him," she responded, her voice a bit flatter as she said this, carrying the young Hylian down the cave path to Zora's Domain. "Don't try to speak, just relax. Everything is going to be okay."

Doing as the warrior said, Danielle just let out a shuddering breath as she shivered, letting the fur warm her nearly-frozen body as she was carried by Ashei into Zora's Domain.

_Cale… I promise you… next time, I_ will  _free you…_


	21. Bloodstained Past

Danielle trudged up the steep cave path, growing used to the cold slowly, but it still just wasn't enough for the youth. She went out to join Ashei on the snow-covered ledge, arms wrapped tightly around her, bandages covering the few injuries she had received in her scuffle with Cale. By now the blizzard had died away entirely, the sun shining down on the mountain trail. "Huh… It feels like… some evil power was wiped away from here for good," Danielle murmured, shielding her eyes to stare up at the trail. Ashei didn't respond. Turning away and tucking her helmet under her arm.

"Let's go, Danielle."

"Eh?" Danielle turned back slightly, giving the warrior a questioning look. "We're leaving?"

"The blizzard is gone, and that creature has not returned since Link left. Our work here is done. I'm sure we'll run into Link back at Telma's place and find out what happened, yeah? Maybe he somehow made it up the mountain while I wasn't here standing guard, tending to you."

"Yeah, maybe…" Danielle didn't say much in reply to that, knowing that Link had made his way up the mountain in his wolf form. As they both made their way into the domain, the youth felt immensely relieved to finally be out of the cold once and for all. Most of the Zora gave them curious looks once more, but they apparently figured that the two's work was done as they didn't really bother them. Maybe Ashei intimidated them as much as she did to Danielle.

Passing into Hyrule Field through a rocky passage, they came out on a rugged trail overlooking the lush green fields, the castle ahead of them encased by that golden barrier of magic. The setting sun cast an orangish glow over the entire land, the beauty of it taking her breath away. As the youth stared out across the field in amazement, Ashei looked over and actually gave a smirk, something that was very rare from the human. "Amazing, yeah? I had the same reaction the first time I saw it, too. This beautiful land is what I gladly fight to protect and return the peace to."

Danielle stared at the castle now, longing tugging at her heart. She yearned to be home with her family again, and the emotion was clearly displayed on her face. "Yeah… it really is something else," she replied half-heartedly, heaving out a sigh. The human gripped her shoulder slightly now, Danielle looking sideways at her. "Every time I look at the castle, I just wish I could be back home with them… but I remember the invasion, those beasts, seeing my brothers fall…"

"You were in the castle when those things came, yeah? How did you get out?" Danielle's eyes flickered, gaze returning to Hyrule Castle. There was no way she could explain that all of Hyrule's citizens were forced into spirit forms while she had been changed by Zant into a weak-looking dragon. She just remained silent, hoping that maybe Ashei would drop the question, but from what she knew of the warrior, she usually didn't let the truth remain hidden. Surprisingly enough, Ashei apparently took her silence as the memory being too painful. "Still hurts to think about it, yeah? Guess you don't have to tell… but when everything settles down, I do want to hear about it."

"Ashei! Danielle!"

A voice called out their names, the beat of a horse's hooves against the earth steadily growing louder. She didn't recognize the rider on a powerful brown steed, but Ashei apparently did. "Rusl?"

The Ordonian swordsman pulled up to them, lifting his helmet slightly to look down at the two young women. "I came to check on you two before I headed to Ordon Village. I take it you've finished your investigation?"

Ashei nodded, one hand resting on her hip. "As best as we could, yeah? I'm not sure what Link did, but things have settled down now. What about Ordon?"

"So far everything is peaceful, just interested in investigating the ruins in Faron." Lowering his helmet once more, he took both reins into his hands and tilted his head slightly. "And the knights?"

"Cale. We retrieved his bow, but he escaped," Ashei replied without hesitation, her voice hardening slightly.

Rusl frowned after hearing this, mostly because of the slightly confused look that Danielle gave her. "Escaped, hm? I see. Danielle?" Taken aback, she quickly shifted her gaze to the swordsman. "Would you like to come with me to Ordon? My wife Uli will take care of you while we're there, and you look as if you could use some rest."

"Er, thank you, Rusl. Yes, I'll go with you." As he reached out a hand to her, Danielle took it and was pulled up onto the back of the horse. Ashei gave a short wave before turning to head off, pausing when Danielle called her name. "Hey, Ashei? Be careful, alright? And please, take care of Blaine for me."

Ashei glanced back somewhat, one eyebrow raised. "That undignified, callous, pig-headed fool? I suppose I could. And you be careful yourself, Danielle. Don't get hurt, or it will be both Telma and myself having your head, yeah?" Turning once more, the warrior trekked across Hyrule Field towards the town while Rusl urged his horse on.

"Er… was Ashei being serious about what she called Blaine, or was that her cracking a joke? I didn't think she actually joked about things."

"Heh." Rusl gave a bit of a chuckle, shaking his head. "Ashei has seemingly taken a liking to you." Glancing over his shoulder, he was met with Danielle's surprised stare while she held on tight to him so she wouldn't fall. "I've known Telma for some time, and as soon as Ashei began to frequent the tavern, Telma took her under her wing. Being raised by her father has left her rather lacking in manners and harsh towards the soldiers of Hyrule."

"Taken a liking to me? It still seems to me like she hates my guts sometimes," Danielle thought aloud, inciting another chuckle from the older man. "Ashei's father was a knight, correct? Why did he leave? I've only heard that he did leave, but no real details about it."

"Hm… A touchy subject to bring up before her. Yes, he was a knight, a royal knight at that." Danielle's eyes widened briefly, but Rusl never looked back as he continued on. "He was at odds with your father many years ago after a skirmish in which innocent life was lost. Frustrated, her father left the royal knights and took Ashei to the mountains, raising her as a son and teaching her the ways of swordplay."

"And what was that argument between them?" Danielle questioned in a lower voice.

Rusl sighed, still looking straight ahead. He seemed reluctant to speak, but continued on regardless. "Several young children had lost their families during the skirmish. With his sons watching, Greil had cut them down when they tried to attack him out of vengeance." He paused, letting this sink in. Danielle could only sit there, shocked, unable to believe what she was hearing. "Without hesitating, your father slew them in cold blood, claiming afterwards to do it in defense. Greil swore his men to secrecy, but Ashei's father spoke out. What followed has since tarnished the reputation of the royal knights to those who know of this dark secret. An assassin murdered Ashei's mother and very nearly killed the young girl before being driven off by her father. The ex-knight fled to Snowpeak with his daughter when she was eight, and they lived there since. He still remains there, even though Ashei has since set off on her own and returned to castle town."

Danielle tried to take all of this in, but it wasn't really working so well for her. She was appalled to think that her father, of royal blood, the brother of the former king, had been heartless enough to cut down innocent children like what Rusl told her. But why would the swordsman lie to her? He had nothing to gain from doing so, which meant Danielle could only assume all of what he spoke was the truth. "Who… was the assassin? Do you know?"

"Nobody will speak of it, but Ashei knows the murderer's identity." They were passing over a wooden rope bridge now, the horse slowing down to a trot now that they were in Faron Province. "She revealed it to me in confidence… and I believe you have the right to know." Removing his helmet, Rusl looked back at her over his shoulder, his face carrying a weary and sorrowful expression. "The assassin, a young knight in training at the age of thirteen… was Cale."

\--------------------------

Rusl felt his wife's hand fall on his shoulder, looking back at her. "Uli… Thank you for being willing to give Danielle shelter on such short notice."

His wife smiled, wrapping one arm around Rusl's waist now as she joined him at his side. "I'm just glad you arrived home safely. And the children?"

"Safe. Kakariko's shaman is taking good care of them." Rusl allowed a slight smile himself. "Colin has grown, too. There's a courage in his eyes that I've never seen before. I'm very proud of him."

Uli chuckled slightly, staring out the window into the night. "He always idolized Link as a hero, so I suppose it's natural that some of Link's courage rubbed off on him." She looked off to the side to where Danielle sat in a chair, fast asleep with her head leaned back, a blanket having been placed over her by Uli after she dozed off. "How long will you stay this time?" she asked Rusl thoughtfully.

"As long as my investigation takes. Link will join me in Faron Woods to look into the strange ruins past the Forest Temple. When we are done, I must take my leave and return to Castle Town."

"As busy as ever, I see," Uli murmured slightly in disappointment.

Rusl sighed softly and looking down at her, cupping her face in his hands. "Uli, as soon as this is all over, I will return here with the children, and things will settle down… It will just take a little more time, that's all." He kissed her forehead gently, smiling down at her until she finally returned the smile.

"I'll take your word on that… But you should perhaps focus on getting your rest now. It seems like you've had quite a long day."

"Heh, that I have…" Lowering his hands, he watched his wife make her way to their bed before turning his gaze to where Danielle rested. He was now having second thoughts about revealing what he had to the young girl. That pale, shocked look that had been on her face had shown just how hard the revelation had hit her. Those who knew of that dreadful secret were few and far between. Had it been wise to share this with that very knight's own child?

Rusl frowned, turning away to join his wife. He had made the right choice in his heart, and now it was up to Danielle to choose how to take it. He had to admit that if he had been in the Hylian's place, he would have not taken it as calmly.

_Something about her seems different from when I saw her before her appearance changed so drastically. There is a different expression in her eyes, and she carries herself with much more confidence. I wonder what has caused such a change within her?_

"Whatever the cause, I merely pray that the goddesses aid this child in succeeding at whatever task it is she fights to complete. There… are still things that she carries by herself, burdens that she wishes not to place on anyone else… burdens that a child like herself shouldn't be forced to carry." Sighing softly and shaking his head, he turned and slowly walked off.

\--------------------------

Ashei frowned as she stared down at Blade's resting form, one hand gently gripping the hilt of her sword as it was rested upon the sheathed blade. He had no idea she was here, and in one strike she could rid the world of a son of a murderer. But what would that accomplish? For so long she had harbored anger towards all knights, especially the ones involved in ruining her father's life and killed her mother in cold blood. So why her change of heart? Back at Snowpeak, she could have executed Cale in one swift stroke before the eyes of his sister.

"Why didn't I? Was it just because Danielle was there? I have always been disgusted with those three men, and I hated the fact their sister was so enamored with them, especially that Cale. She cherished as heroes the ones I so despised…"

Scowling, she couldn't turn her gaze away from Blaine. Maybe she had been wrong to judge him in such a way, she didn't know. People did change with time. Perhaps even those three boys had as they became young men. What she  _did_ know was that her desire to take vengeance on the callous knights had dissolved ever since she came to really know that young girl. It made no sense, it was something she just couldn't figure out…

_I can't take away the only remaining family of a child who has already lost her mother… who has had to deal with her own family trying to kill her._

"Danielle… you are truly a strange one, to affect those around you in such profound ways…" Ashei sat down, arms crossed as she watched Blaine sleep, that scowl melting away as she pondered her own feelings. "But would you love your family as much if you knew the truth?"


	22. Lightning Tempest

Thunder rumbled deeply, snapping Danielle out of her peaceful rest with a jolt. Bolting upright in the chair, she looked back and forth quickly while still fighting off the drowsiness, blanket wrapped around her still. The sky was dark outside with the exception of the occasional flash of lightning. "A storm…" she mumbled tiredly, sitting up straight and pulling the warm blanket off of herself.

"Danielle, you're awake." Lifting her head, she saw Uli walking over with one hand resting on her stomach. "This storm came in not long ago, and it seems to be a bad one. Normally Rusl would return by now with it so severe, but he hasn't. I'm worried."

Rising to her feet and wiping the sleep from her eyes, Danielle took up her weapons, still getting used to the feeling of being weighed down by them. She held Malte in her right hand that was covered by Animus, resting the lance on her shoulder. "I'll run out to look for him, Uli."

Both surprised and relieved, Uli nodded. "You're very kind, but please be careful. If the storm gets too bad, you must take shelter. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you out there while you're searching for him."

"Yes ma'am, I'll be careful." Danielle smiled a bit, waving as she headed out the door. Fierce winds ripped at her, the skies nearly pitch black. Uli was right, this storm was bad. But there was also something about it that just didn't seem right… The feeling reminded her of when she was in the blizzard at Snowpeak, as if this wasn't quite natural. Getting her bearings straight, Danielle headed through Ordona towards Faron Province while the villagers made their way to their dwellings. The branches of the trees cracked from the force of the winds, lightning flashing overhead. Moving at a brisk pace, Danielle hurried until she was stopped by an area filled with unusual purple mist. Evil radiated from it, making her feel sickened to her stomach slightly.

There was no way she would risk touching it, but she wasn't sure how exactly to manage to get through. Frustrated at her current predicament and wondering why the wind didn't even stir up the fog, she stood with arms folded and head lowered slightly as she contemplated this. How had Link managed to get through here earlier? "Hm…" Tilting her head to the side, she listened to the roaring thunder as she thought. Maybe if she used Mugre…

Snapping her fingers, she unslung the bow and aimed it towards the mist, calling upon its power of wind. It was getting easier for her to figure out how to use those powers, and as she willed a strong gust to clear a path before her, air gathered before the tip of the bow before flowing forward. It took almost all of her concentration to keep up the steady stream of wind that allowed her to pass through the parted mists, and by the time she reached the other side, she felt a bit drained.

"Man, wonder how Rusl got through here in the first place," she murmured, returning the bow to its position over her shoulder as she trekked through a short cave to a clearing just before the Forest Temple. As soon as she stepped foot out of the cave, she heard the sounds of battle over the rapid peals of thunder. "Rusl? Rusl!!"

"Aaagh!" a pain-filled cry answered from just up ahead, close to the path up to the temple itself. As she sprinted forward and readied Malte, a shape flew past her in a rush of air, very nearly colliding with her before lying in a crumpled heap on the ground. It took her several seconds to realize that it had been Rusl who nearly slammed into her, the young Hylian shooting a glance back over her shoulder as he groaned in pain.

"What the… Rusl!" Turning her gaze towards the direction he had come from, she saw a flash of steel before she was slammed sideways by a powerful blow. As soon as she landed she rolled sideways, avoiding an axe that burrowed into the ground. She instantly knew just who her opponent was at the sight of that gold-plated axe, shouting his name as she scrambled to her feet. "Rurik!"

The knight swiftly pulled up his weapon, that blank expression on his face eerily similar to the one Blaine had worn during his ambush of her. He lashed out with a powerful strike aimed to decapitate her, Danielle pulling her head back in the nick of time. She gulped heavily, feeling a slight sting across her neck from where the steel had grazed her skin, amazed by his sudden increase in speed. "Tch… I get hit good by that thing once, and I'm done for…" she muttered under her breath. Bringing Mugre up horizontally across her chest, she focused upon its power even as Rurik prepared to charge. "Hah!" With a swing, sharp icicles shot out and slammed into Rurik, not piercing his heavy armor but knocking him back. Flipping Malte now, she thrust the spearhead into the ground. "Freeze!" Ice shot along the ground and up the knight's metal boots, encasing his legs to the ground. He looked down with a scowl, trying to pull his legs free but to no avail, even as it reached up to his waist.

Smirking and satisfied that Rurik wouldn't be able to get free anytime soon, Danielle pulled up the lance and turned her attention to Rusl, who was still struggling to stand after the blow he had taken. The youth rushed over to help him to his feet, taking note of the reddened marks on his skin, as if he had been burned. "Are you okay?"

"Your brother… I underestimated his strength…" Rusl shook his head, pulling away and picking up his fallen sword. When he turned towards Rurik, he immediately brought up his blade. "Watch out!"

The ice encasing the lower half of Rurik's body was beginning to crack, his axe pointing towards the dark skies. Bright white electricity crackled around the gold-plated weapon before a bolt of lightning shot through Rurik, shattering the ice and sending slivers of it flying everywhere. "Gah!" Danielle cried, shielding her face from the shards even as she felt them cutting slightly into her exposed skin. There was suddenly a loud boom, the Hylian now finding herself lying on the ground staring up at the cloudy sky. Each breath brought nothing but pain, her very flesh feeling as if it was on fire.

Standing over her, Rurik raised Armads while she laid there, unable to force her body to respond to her commands. She was paralyzed and in shock, having been hit by a bolt of lightning that sent her sprawling. Rurik's power was truly something else, utilizing perhaps one of the most destructive forces of nature. In one hit he had taken her down.

The axe came plunging down, and just when it seemed that the battle was over for her, a boot hit the side of the axe and caused it to veer off target and hit the ground mere centimeters from her arm. Rurik snapped his head up just in time to see Rusl crack his elbow across the knight's fact and send him stumbling back, pulling up his weapon. Scowling, blood flowing down from his nose, he slammed Armads into the earth, lightning surging through the ground and instantly into Rusl. He yelped in pain, the swordsman flying backwards once more, gasping for air.

Danielle struggled to move, hand twitching slightly within Animus. How could they combat such a powerful element? A single strike at the right strength could kill them! "Have… to move…" she hissed through clenched teeth, managing to curl her hand into a fist even as her dark executioner approached.

"Hey, big guy!" Rurik looked up, distracted by the voice as a longsword cut down his breastplate, sending sparks flying. Grunting in surprise, the knight jumped back and held his axe down by his side, a familiar man now standing between him and the two injured fighters.

"Uh… You have… got to be kidding me…" Danielle murmured, recognizing the dark-skinned fighter from Kakariko Village. "Leon!"

He looked back with a cocky grin, even though it was apparent he didn't recognize her. "What? Am I that popular already? I'm flat—Whoa!" Leon managed to block the strike aimed for his head, in a stalemate with Rurik now as he held back the axe.

"Tch…" Now having most of her movement back, Danielle pulled Mugre off of her back, lying on her back as she made the motion of notching an arrow as she held the bow horizontally in her hand. Air flowed along the wood, condensing into a swirling arrowhead. "Leon, move!"

The warrior didn't hesitate, jumping back from Rurik and letting Armads fall. "Goddesses, let my aim be true…!" she whispered, letting loose the wind bolt, aiming not for Rurik but his axe. The "arrow" hit the side of the axe with such precise force that it flew out of Rurik's grip and cleaved into the thick trunk of a tree nearby. Even Danielle was shocked by how well her plan had worked, lying there in shock.

Rurik blinked rapidly, his shocked and confused expression almost comical if it weren't for the fact that he had nearly killed both Danielle and Rusl. "What… how did…?" Trailing off, he looked around at everyone before rushing over to Danielle, pushing past a very confused-looking Leon to reach the youth.

Sighing with relief, Danielle lowered the bow and managing to sit up, still aching all over even as her cousin wrapped his arms around her, very nearly picking her up off the ground in the process. "Heh, good to see you again, Rurik…"

He held her tightly, but not too much to spare her from being crushed by his armor. Regret and sorrow filled his eyes as he looked down at her, shaking his head, his voice quivering as he spoke quickly. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you okay?"

"I think so… Just whatever you hit me with back there took a lot out of me," she murmured with a weak grin as Rurik released her and gave her some room to breathe. "What about Rusl?"

"Ah…" Rurik looked to the side where Leon was helping the swordsman to his feet. "He should be okay. You two just need to rest for a bit to get over being hit with lightning." Turning his gaze back to Danielle, he lowered his voice. 'I'm sorry… That entire time I was fighting, I… I couldn't control myself. I saw everything, but my body was not my own. I tried to fight against it, but its will was too strong."

"I know, Rurik…" She gripped his armor slightly with her left hand, leaning on him as she unsteadily rose to her feet. She felt his arm wrap around her waist as he supported her, and once she could at least stand on her own, he embraced her gently once more. Tears were now coming to his eyes, and Danielle couldn't help but feel shocked. She had never seen him cry before, and yet here he was now hugging her tight and struggling not to break down and sob. "Mm…"

The storm clouds gradually gave way overhead to clear skies, the sun revealing itself and shining down on the two as she rested her head on his shoulder, her own tears beginning to fall.

\--------------------------

Leon scratched at the back of his head, watching Rurik and Danielle riding on Rusl's steed out of Faron Woods. "So, let me get this straight: the axe was evil and controlling the big knight? Are you serious?"

"Very much so." Rusl folded his arms, shaking his head. "Farfetched, I know… but that is the truth. I was doubtful before, but now that I've seen firsthand…"

"Hmph. Well, I find it even harder to believe that some girl is the only one able to use those weapons safely. And some noble brat from the castle, at that? Tch. Give me those weapons, and I'd cut down any fiend in the way. I could put them to much better use than that kid."

Rusl frowned at this, noticing the scowl Leon wore. "I wouldn't be so quick to judge her, Leon. After all, she is aiding us in our cause."

"Maybe she is, but that doesn't mean I believe that crazy story of hers." Leon shrugged, placing his longsword on his back now. "Anyhow, I'm getting out of here. Just came by to check on things at Telma's request, so now I'm heading to around Kakariko before I actually go back to castle down. Let Telma I won't be around for a while, but she better make me something good next time I'm back at her bar." The travelling warrior waved slightly, letting out a loud yawn as he now set off, leaving Rusl standing there with folded arms.

"Hmph, hard-headed, but he's a valuable asset." Sighing, Rusl now turned away himself and began his trek back to Ordona.

_Well, Link… I hope you made it to the grove on the other side of the temple… You had left just before that possessed young man arrived. Be careful… for I feel that our very fates rest on your young shoulders._


	23. Scholar of the Sky

Shad quietly murmured to himself, idly flipping through the pages of his book. "I have read this near a hundred times, yet there is no single reference to what word breaks the seal…" Shutting the book closed, her stared at the ancient statue before him that had dwelt in the passage beneath Renado's house for as long as the shaman had been there. Even with his father's research, had he finally reached his wit's end? "Perhaps that Link fellow will find something…" He sighed, adjusting his spectacles while turning away from the statue, feeling defeated. Abruptly he stopped, seeing the youth from Telma's bar standing there. "Hm…?"

Since he had first seen her several days ago, she had changed. Deep-rooted weariness filled her face, eyes displaying a haunted look that she did her best to hide. What ordeals she had faced, he did not know, couldn't even begin to fathom. The innocence that he remembered was long gone.

_Battles are ugly affairs… for they tear apart the soul and mind as much as the body. And for her to be forced to face her very family…_

"Uh, you're Shad, right?"

The scholar smiled gently, pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind as he bowed his head slightly. "Yes. How has your endeavor come along?"

She walked forward slowly, carrying the multiple weapons without much effort, despite the fact that they had to be weighing her down considerable. The gold-plated axe Armads hung at her side, Animus on her left fist, Mugre slung over her shoulder and Malte in hand resting on her shoulder. "Rurik is safe in Castle Town now, keeping an eye on Blaine as he's trying to recover. Cale and Greil are the only ones left."

Shad was curious about Danielle referring to her father by his real name, but he filed away the detail to the back of his mind as he continued on. "So I assume your search for them has brought you here?"

Danielle nodded a bit, leaning back against one of the rock walls. "Well, Rurik attacked Rusl back in Faron before I had even joined him out near the temple… so I believe their targets right now are Link and whoever aids him."

"And so that puts me on that list, along with the rest of the group? I'm flattered to have you protecting me, then." His words caused Danielle to shoot him a double-take, but Shad merely turned his attention to the statue, opening his book once more and idly flipping through pages. "Link has been by already. He is searching for a way to restore his young friend Illia's memory."

"I know, I saw him in Telma's bar when he was retracing his friend's steps and told me all of what he was doing."

"Then I suppose you aren't aware that he went with the Goron patriarch Darbus to the hidden village of Old Kakariko?" As he glanced over his shoulder, he noticed Danielle sitting with her back against the wall now. Not only that, but she looked quite surprised and confused.

"Er… Old Kakariko?"

Shad nodded, beginning to pace with his book in hand, although he wasn't looking down at its pages. "The hidden village… said to be founded by the mysterious Sheikah." Looking to see her reaction once more, he was rather dismayed by her further confused expression. "You… do know of the Sheikah, right?" Upon shaking her head, Shad released an exasperated sigh. "What do they teach the younger generations these days…?" He crouched before her, book in one hand and his free hand resting atop his left kneecap as he looked her in the eye. "The Sheikah were servants of the Royal Family. Well, servants would be an inappropriate term for them… they served the royal family as guardians in secrecy, their skills unmatched. Their shadow arts made them the perfect sentinels and assassins, and they aided the Royal Family through several various wars.

"The original Kakariko Village was the home of the Sheikah, but it has long since been abandoned. According to Gor Coron, a rockslide blocked off the entrance to the village quite some time ago. For generations the Sheikah existed in secret, serving the royal line and dwelling in that hidden, lonely village. But their numbers dwindled due to the numerous wars." Shad frowned, pushing up his glasses with his index and middle fingers. "If there remain any Sheikah, their presence is well-hidden, otherwise that ancient tribe is gone for good."

Apparently this subject had piqued Danielle's interest, as she was now sitting up straight and listening intently. "What were the features of the Sheikah?"

"Features?" Shad contemplated this, sorting through the vast collection of facts and knowledge he had stored in his mind. "Piercing red eyes with the typical physical traits of a Hylian. Their garb was quite unusual, as it was of a strange lightweight design that focused more on agility than actual defense." He closed his eyes, trying to recall any other important details he may have missed. "The emblem of the Sheikah… was a three-lashed eye with a single tear falling from it. The meaning behind it, though, has been lost in the tides of time…"

"For someone specializing in the Sky Beings, you sure know a lot about the Sheikah, too."

The scholar allowed a thin smile, rising to his feet. "I specialize in that magnificent race, but that does not mean my knowledge is limited to that one subject only. My father instilled the value of knowledge into me at an early age, and so I sought to broaden my understanding of many subjects with the Sky Beings being the primary one." He noticed that now she looked somewhat troubled, her eyes downcast. "Does something ail you, Danielle?"

Lifting her head, the young warrior seemed uncertain about how to answer. "I'm… not really sure, to be honest. I suppose I just feel uneasy about everything."

Shad was about to ask her to elaborate on what she meant but then decided to avoid questioning her despite his curiosity about her melancholy state. It was not his place to interfere in her personal matters, after all.

Silence filled the air for several minutes, broken only by the occasional turn of a page from Shad. He had returned to his efforts of solving the riddle of the ancient statue despite how many times he had gone through his notes already, frustration quickly setting in. However, the sound of little feet against the wooden rungs of the ladder caused Shad to look up. The young son of Rusl hit the ground, running over with urgency on his face. "Renado said he's here! A man named Cale has come to Kakariko!"

Shad's eyes flickered towards Danielle as she rose, her expression one of seriousness and hesitance. "He's already here then… Dangit, I was hoping Link would have returned before Cale arrived." Her gaze met Shad's. "I don't know if I can defeat Cale on my own, Shad. We may need reinforcements."

A frown crossed his face. "You are going to try and fight him by yourself despite the fact you just said you can't beat him?"

"Yes. I don't have many alternatives, and if I delay too long, innocents may be killed, maybe even you." Danielle turned now, striding towards the ladder and brushing past both Shad and Colin. The scholar paused, watching her ascend the ladder without even a backwards glance. Even if help was sent for, would it arrive in time?

"Link, where are you?" Shad heard Colin murmur, the same question crossing his mind. The scholar tucked his book into his jacket now, making his own way to the ladder and climbing up it.

\--------------------------

Cale stood in the middle of Kakariko's street, the villagers observing him from a safe distance with fear and apprehension. Malevolence emanated from him in waves, his eyes narrowed and filled with rage. Yet he didn't strike out at anyone, waiting while Danielle cautiously approached. What controlled him was not just the weapon, but a dark magic that had to be Zant's. She could feel it, the worst of the power centered in his chest, that evil force making her skin crawl and sending chills up her spine. "Cale… This is what that monster is forcing you to do? Apparently he learned that relying on just the weapons won't let him control you… but I will find a way to free you with this battle."

He scowled, hands wrapping around the hilt of Durandal, his blade resting with its tip lodged in the ground. "Free me? I am freed from the shackles of that simple life I've been living. I finally have a chance to take everything into my own hands. This is what I desire!" Suddenly he pulled up the blade, rushing forward faster than Danielle had expected, that dark force enhancing his strength and speed as he brought his sword down at her head. Danielle managed to block with Malte, gasping at both the shock that ran through her arms and at her brother as he leaned his head forward to whisper to her. "You… are the only one who stands in the way of my goal…!"

Arms trembling from the effort of holding back his longsword, Danielle met his gaze and managed to utter a single question. "And what is that goal, huh?"

"The throne of Hyrule."

Her eyes widened briefly, her moment of surprise giving Cale just the opening he needed to overpower her and shove her backwards. Cale's hand lunged forward, grabbing the collar of her tunic. "The throne? What're you—"

"You know what I speak of!" he snarled now, surprising her by his ferocity. Never had she seen such a visage of twisted anger upon that handsome young face. When she had faced her two cousins, they had seemed mostly emotionless. Was it the darkness within him that made him this way, totally different from when she had fought him on Snowpeak? He brought her close to his face, eyes narrowing. "With you out of the way, the throne will be mine like it always should have been." Cale lowered his voice, a jealous fire burning in his eyes. "I was the firstborn son, it should have been mine!" he hissed. "But father gave both of us up just so that wretch Zelda would be the heir. My birthright… taken by her!" The enraged knight shook with anger, now flinging her to the ground as he growled in frustration.

Danielle pushed herself backwards, still on her back before she scrambled to her feet, reaching for Malte as she rose. What was with Cale? Was the insanity just another result of what controlled him?

_Darkness in his heart… Was this small spark of jealousy what Midna had meant? Did Zant manage to amplify that a hundredfold to turn him into an enraged madman?_

"Cale… Zant's turned you into an insane maniac, you know that?" she muttered, sliding into a defensive stance.

His eyes narrowed sharply as he slowly raised Durandal to point the sword at her, flames leaping up along the steel, completely engulfing the blade. Even from where she stood she could feel the intense heat that radiated from it, but Cale seem unfazed by the heat his own weapon generated. "Zant… has not turned me into anything. He's given me the power to claim what is rightfully mine. Prepare yourself, sister… Soon you will get to join our wretched parents in the afterlife!"

\--------------------------

Link rode towards Kakariko, a sinking feeling in his gut. He couldn't push Epona any harder without injuring the horse, making the ride seem like eternity. Midna was unable to warp into Kakariko directly, as something there was blocking her power. That pretty much meant something very bad was happening in the village, and everyone there was in danger.

"Stop, Link!" Midna suddenly shouted, surprising the Hylian. He pulled on Epona's reins to slow her down, the Twili appearing and floating by his shoulder, her eye turned in the direction of Kakariko. "In the village… I can feel a terrible power now. It's Danielle's brother, Cale. Seems Zant has finally decided to unleash his dark heart."

Link looked at her quizzically, Midna frowning before continuing on. "Envy, anger… Zant tapped into and fueled those emotions. What was once tiny and harmless turned into something pretty huge. That guy is out of control, chained by the feelings he once harbored." Scowling, Midna folded her arms and crossed her legs, sitting there in midair. "This time Zant has outdone himself. Knocking that weapon out of his hands won't be enough, and he know Danielle won't be able to bring herself to really hurt her family. She has no idea how to force out that evil magic."

"Then why are we waiting here discussing it if she needs our help?" Link caught the smirk that Midna gave him before the Twili swiftly returned to his shadow. Wasting no more time, Link whipped the reins, causing Epona to dash forward and race towards the village.


	24. By Blood Betrayed

Danielle rolled across the dusty ground, coming up in a crouch and barely avoiding Durandal's tip as it embedded itself into the earth. Exhausted and hurting, sweat pouring down her face, the youth staggered to her feet and gasped for air, attempting to put some distance between Cale and herself. Twice she had knocked away Durandal, only for him to pick it back up and continue his relentless assault, confirming her theory that Zant's dark power was what really controlled him.

_How am I supposed to get him back to his right mind? I don't know what to do!_

Cale smirked, noticing her exhaustion and unsteady stance. She was having trouble standing up straight and keeping her balance, while Cale didn't seem fatigued in the slightest. Darting forward, he brought his sword down in a swift slash, Danielle being forced to block with Animus. The shock that ran through her arm numbed it, causing her to stagger back and favor her right arm. In one swift move, Cale stepped behind her before she could even react, his sword slicing diagonally across her back. Searing hot pain ripped through her back, the knight now plunging Durandal's tip into the earth. Danielle staggered forward, tears of pain in her eyes as she was sent reeling by the blow for merely a second before a fiery explosion went off at her feet, propelling her into the spring. Against her burned skin, the cool water lessened the sting of pain, but the opposite occurred for her back. Gasping in pain, she choked on the water that filled her mouth and nostrils, pushing herself over onto her side.

"Pathetic. Is this the best you have to offer?!" Cale spat, glaring at her like she was an undesirable vermin. "You managed to only defeat Blaine by yourself, and had to rely on others to help you against myself and Rurik… and now that you're facing me by yourself, you're nothing but a weakling who can barely defend yourself. This time… no one is here to save you!"

Danielle spat out blood and water, eyes flickering up to Cale as he raised his cursed blade, hungry flames licking at the air from the steel. The blow to her back had been pretty severe, and she could barely move without pain ripping through her, but the healing effects of the water were slowly but steadily mending the wound. It wasn't fast enough, though, as Cale prepared to deliver the final blow that would snuff out her life. She was about to reach for Armads at her side when Cale yelped in pain, dropping his sword to his side. As he turned slightly, Danielle could see an ornate and familiar dagger embedded in his flesh. He reached over his shoulder, feeling around for the weapon's handle before grasping it and pulling it out, shooting a glare at his surprise attacker.

Of all people, it was the one she had never expected. Shad stood there, right hand outstretched from throwing the dagger. The moment Cale glared at him, the scholar flinched and stepped back while the knight flung the bloodstained dagger to the ground. "Hmph. You have some nerve. And here I was thinking of you as nothing more than a cowardly bookworm." He brought up Durandal, a large circle of flame appearing around Shad's feet and causing him to cry out in surprise. "If you're in such a hurry to die… then I'd be happy to oblige!"

"Shad!" Adrenaline shot through her, Danielle scrambling to her feet in a burst of strength as water sloshed underfoot. The scholar stood paralyzed in fear, even as the flames in the circle around him began to rise up, threatening to engulf him entirely. With a grunt, she slammed into him, shoving the scholar out of the way a second before the flames shot up, completely wrapping around her body as it hit the ground. Shutting her eyes, felt the burst of heat along her body as she prepared for the pain of death, only for the heat to abruptly vanish while a cool hand rested on her arm.

"Open up your eyes, Danielle."

Confused, Danielle did as the familiar voice instructed, finding herself staring at the grinning, impish face of Midna. "Midna!? How…?"

At this the imp chuckled. "No thanks for me saving your life then? I'm hurt."

"Ah… Wait, Cale!" Danielle went to rise to her feet, but Midna held on to her arm and shook her head, eye flickering to the side. "Uh…" Danielle followed her gaze, realizing that she had been warped a short distance away to the top of a cliff overlooking the village. Down below, Cale stared at the pillar of flame that he thought had engulfed his sister, apparently unaware that she had escaped. Behind him, Link stood with Master Sword in hand, ready to strike even as the flames of the pillar began to die away. "Link's here…? You guys got here faster than I expected…"

"Well, we did run into a few troubles. I couldn't warp in here, but once inside, I can warp anyone or anything around this area. You're fortunate I was able to do that." Midna was also watching the two down below as Cale looked back over his shoulder, just as Link struck his back with a swift diagonal slash. Cale's surprised cry of pain rose into the air before he spun and retaliated with his own blade, the two Hylians now locked in combat. Their blades glinted in the sun as Cale finally met his rival on the battlefield, the odds evened as the green-clad hero dueled the knight. "Don't worry, Link's got things handled for now." Midna floated by her shoulder now. "Knocking the sword out of his hand won't work, as I'm sure you've probably learned by now. You have to dispel the magic controlling his heart."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Danielle questioned wearily, eyes drifting to the side.

"Well, you're the one who has that nifty little power with light." Midna smirked as she glanced sideways. "I have some magic of my own, so together we should be able to do this."

Hesitating, Danielle looked down once more to where the two Hylians dueled, her mind churning over possible actions to take. Did she have enough mastery of her power to do this? She had no other choice but to try. "Alright, alright…" she murmured mostly to herself as she took a deep breath. "I can do this. I… need to catch him unaware though. Close combat won't do any good, so maybe if I used Mugre with my power…"

"Now you're using your brain!" Using both of her tiny hands, she lifted up Danielle's gauntleted hand so that her palm face upwards and put her hands on the youth's. "Summon your light into your hand."

_My light…?_ Danielle frowned, thinking back on each time she had received the power from the light spirits. Holding on tight to the memory of how it felt to control that warm, refreshing light, she willed it to come forth and take shape in her hand. Soon, as if responding to her commands, light gathered into her palm as if being drawn from their very surroundings. A loud snap soon sounded, Midna calling forth her own magic, twilight interweaving with the light as the imp molded the two radically different magics into arrow-like shapes. Once finished, she folded her arms with a smirk. "Not bad, wouldn't you agree? But you may need to use those arrows only with your covered hand. Twilight magic is dangerous to light-worlders, even if it's mixed with your light."

Nodding, Danielle slipped the arrows into the empty quiver at her side and turned her gaze down the trail, taking Mugre from her shoulder. "Alright. You ready, Midna?"

"Heheheh… Of course! Guess it's your turn to play the hero." The imp dove into Danielle's shadow, the Hylian youth now racing down the trail, determined to finally release her brother from the darkness that held him.

\--------------------------

Link was getting worn out from trying to hold Cale off, but the knight seemed indefatigable. It didn't help that Cale's sword was engulfed in flames, the blistering heat taking its toll on Link.

Cale smirked now, parrying away Link's blade. His own sword lashed forward, nearly beheading Link had he not leaned back to avoid it. Cale's boot connected squarely with Link's chest, knocking the young man flat on his back on the dusty ground. Link had no time to get back up as the knight pinned down his left arm with his foot, Durandal's tip pointing at his chest. "Your story ends here…!" The instant he went to plunge his blade through Link's chest, a strange arrow pierced through his gut. No blood flowed and no arrow jutted from his flesh, but he was visibly in pain as he reeled backwards, clutching his stomach.

Rolling to the side, Link leapt to his feet and spotted Danielle standing there with bow in hand, an arrow of dark and light in her gauntleted hand. Her gaze was hardened and focused as she brought up the arrow and notched it. "Link, I'm ready… let's finish it!"

_Good. So she's ready now._

Link raised his shield slightly, Cale now looking none too pleased. "You think your little magic tricks will save you, huh? All of you… all of you will burn!" he shouted, voice filled with madness. The flames that engulfed Durandal increased in ferocity, as if responding to his insanity.

Leaping at them, Cale swung hard at Link, who managed to block with his shield. The force of the impact was far greater than he had expected, the hero getting thrown back as Cale let loose a howl of pain from getting hit in the shoulder by an arrow. Bloodlust filled his eyes, the knight now bearing down on his little sister. He took another arrow to his gut, but this time he didn't even falter, determined to rip her apart. There was no way that Link could intercept him in time, only able to watch the youth backpedal slightly and pull out her last arrow.

The Blazing Sword cleaved through the air over Danielle's head as she crouched down, plunging the arrow upwards into his chest. Cale froze in place, eyes wide, the flames on Durandal dying away as it dropped to the ground. As Danielle released the magical arrow, it sunk into Cale's flesh, a strange black ichor dripping from his chest to the dusty ground. With the last of the ooze now puddle on the ground and squirming about, Cale regained full comprehension and control, the knight sagging slightly. Tears rolled down his face as he wrapped his arms tightly around his younger sister. Danielle's own eyes glistened as she dropped Mugre and returned the embrace, burying her face in his shoulder.

Link slowly walked forward to where the black slime writhed in a puddle on the ground. It oozed malevolence, obviously the entity that had forced Cale to fight and fed off the darkness in his heart. This thing was born of Zant's magic. Placing his shield on his back, he turned over the Master Sword and plunged the tip into the writing mass. He could almost hear it squeal in pain as the holy blade pierced it, the ooze beginning to dissolve and vanish. Once it was completely eradicated, he sheathed his weapon and gazed once more at the tearful reunion between the two siblings.

"Aww, what a touching reunion," Midna commented from Link's shadow, although her voice wasn't as sarcastic as it would usually be. "But we're almost done with this whole thing. We get that last Mirror Shard, and we'll finally be able to defeat Zant and end this ordeal."

"Yes… but we're not done yet. We have one last shard to get… and she still has to free her father. We may both be at our hardest tasks yet… but we will prevail."


	25. A Time for Rest

The four of them were in a lopsided square, Blaine lying in his bed while Cale, Rurik, and Danielle sat in chairs. Doctor Borville had left in frustration after Cale argued to gain them a bit of privacy, so now they were able to have their reunion without any interruptions. The joy had lasted for quite some time, but it had soon faded.

Danielle lifted her head, staring into each of their faces. It took a lot of will to break the silence, but she managed it. "So… I can assume that you all know the truth about our family, huh?"

Her cousins nodded, but Cale stared down silently at the floor. "We… only just learned about it when Zant invaded, and father revealed it to him," Blaine spoke up with a frown. "But you… came to the truth the hard way."

"Tch. Don't I know it," she muttered, resting a hand over the scar beneath her leather jerkin. Wearing a frown of her own, Danielle glanced at Cale. "And you, Cale? Do they know about what you did?"

He flinched slightly, lifting his head to stare at her, trying to act like he was ignorant of what she asked. "What do you mean?"

"You know good and well what I'm talking about, Cale," she spoke, her ire rising. "Ashei's mother."

Blaine and Rurik glanced uneasily at each other, making it apparent that they also knew about the incident that had turned Ashei against their family. Cale bit his lip slightly, looking up at her. What was so surprising was the fact that he seemed almost intimidated by his younger sister. "Yes, they all know… but you don't know everything about that."

"I don't know everything about it? I know enough." Growling in frustration, she rubbed at her eyes with her left hand. "Why? Why did you do it, Cale?"

Lowering his gaze, Cale sat back in his chair and sighed heavily. "I should probably give you a bit of background information. Did you ever notice that, when father had Exaccus around, he seemed different?" Danielle paused, lifting her head curiously. "That sword… even back then it had a hold on him, despite its seal not being broken. He never even noticed it… or maybe he didn't want to admit it. When he carried the blade, he seemed harsher, less caring. When those children had attacked Uncle Greil… I could see something unnatural in his eyes. Maybe… he really felt some semblance of anger towards them… but that weapon amplified it so much, he was willing to follow through."

"You mean… just like what was controlling you?"

He nodded slightly, frowning even deeper. "Perhaps Zant even drew on that power and mixed it with whatever twisted magic he uses, I don't know."

Folding her arms across her chest, Danielle continued to look at him. "But how does that explain what went on with you, why you did what you did?"

"I was afraid of him, yet… I wanted to prove myself to him, so that he would be proud of me, and I would have no need to fear him. That's why I accepted that mission. But when I actually got there, I wanted so badly to just be able to turn and run, to abandon it… but I was terrified. I feared what he would do to me if I refused his orders after saying I would. For me, there was no turning back. I forced myself to slay the mother, trying to force myself to think of her as an enemy, but when I saw Ashei there, cowering and crying… I couldn't do it. I fled from the area and lied to Greil about me finishing her off."

Danielle rose to her feet now, pacing uneasily, her eyes never meeting theirs. The fact that Cale sounded remorseful, that he had been hesitant about carrying out that gruesome mission, had put her mind slightly at ease. But that didn't change the fact that Cale had shed innocent blood. "All this time, you knew what had been done to that family, an act that stains the name of our own family." The words seemed to rush like water from her mouth, but she knew not their source or inspiration. "Your actions and the actions of Greil have left a crimson stain on the name of the very royal family itself, even if no one is aware of that." Stopping, she narrowed her eyes and turned to face them. "Ashei saved my life twice, rescued Blaine from that inferno, removed Mugre from Cale's possession… all when she could have let us been killed in revenge for what was done. What do we even have to thank her for this when we ripped away her own mother from her when she was but a child?"

Uneasy silence filled the air, no one else speaking for several seconds until Blaine voiced a quiet question. "Danielle, those actions were ours, not yours… so why include yourself in the blame?"

Confusion tugged at the back of her mind, but she didn't let it show. She wasn't sure why she did this, just that something deeply compelled her to. "We are all of royal blood, of the same noble family. This burden was laid upon us because of Greil's actions, and we must make amends for the sins of our father. The royal knights who went along with Greil's decision were too fearful to speak out, but the one who did suffered all because he clung tenaciously to the truth." Closing her eyes, Danielle exhaled softly, lowering her voice. "I don't even know where to begin with making amends… only that it is a daunting task. But it is something we need to do."

None of the young men spoke, all looking at her with expressions of surprise, as if they were impressed that one so young spoke in such a mature way. Danielle suddenly felt weary and mentally drained, turning now for the door. "I'm going to head back to Telma's bar. All of you should rest and maybe think about this, come up with something."

"Danielle, before you go…" She looked back, seeing Rurik looking towards her. "Father… he's still out there."

"I know. I'll free him, too, I promise." Not really giving them much time to interject again, Danielle strode out of the room, slipping through the door of the clinic and into the bustling streets of the town.

Feeling uneasy, Danielle headed towards the other side of town, ready to rest and kick up her feet in Telma's bar for a while. The clouds were darkening overhead, which meant soon rain would wash the earth. A few warm droplets splattered against her skin and clothing, most of the people already rushing for their dwellings at these first initial drops. Thunder rumbled, and despite her quickened pace, the clouds released their precipitation while she hurried down the southern thoroughfare. Very nearly slipping down the now-slick stone steps, Danielle hurried through the door into Telma's tavern. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light, the young Hylian noting that there were only a few patrons off to the left, including the mailman who could often be seen running across Hyrule Field.

As usual, Telma stood behind her bar to serve the customers, and also as usual, the ragtag group of adventurers sat in the back around the table. It took her a second to realize Shad wasn't there, but she figured that maybe he was out somewhere around the town. As she approached the bar, Telma's eyes lit up upon noticing her, the barkeep chuckling humorously. "Looks like someone here took a swim in Lake Hylia."

"Yeah, I wasn't really fast enough to get in here before the whole sky fell on me." Telma dug around under her counter slightly, coming up with a dry towel that she tossed over to Danielle, the youth catching it and trying to dry herself off the best she could. "I heard from Shad how you managed to free Cale. I bet you feel mighty happy about that."

"Heh, yeah… wasn't easy though. I'm pretty much exhausted now. Cale and Rurik will be staying with Blaine for a while." Once finished, she passed the cloth back to Telma, who stowed it away with the rest of the dirty rags that needed to eventually be cleaned.

"Well, is there anything I can get you, sweetie?" Telma offered.

"Well, something warm to drink would be nice."

"Sure thing. How does a helping of some nice warm milk sound?" Telma questioned with a warm smile as she turned and began to prepare the young Hylian's drink.

Danielle couldn't help but give a weary grin, relieved that she could finally just take a breather and relax. "Sounds pretty wonderful to me, actually."

Once finished, the barkeep set down a bottle of warmed milk on the counter, her own smile widening. "There ya go, sweetie. Take a seat and rest those feet of yours."

"Heh, thanks a lot, Telma." Taking up the bottle of milk, she sipped at it now as she joined the others at the table, taking a seat in the chair that Shad normally occupied.

Rusl was the first to speak, grinning slightly as she noticed her still-wet appearance. "It seems someone got caught in that storm brewing outside," he chuckled. "Sure got pretty nasty in a hurry, didn't it?"

"Tell me about it. It sure came over us pretty quickly." Danielle took a large sip of her milk, savoring the taste while noticing that Ashei was glancing at her. "Hm?"

"I told everyone about what happened with your father and brothers."

At hearing the rather blunt statement, Danielle's eyes widened and she inhaled sharply, only to begin choking on the milk she had been drinking. Covering her mouth with her arm, she hunched over and attempted to stifle the coughing fit, Telma leaning forward over the bar to look curiously their way. "You… you told them?" she panted, tears in her eyes from all the coughing.

Ashei nodded slightly, one hand on the table as she bent over and leaned forward a bit. "I figured everyone deserved to know… that there was no reason to hide this anymore."

Danielle fidgeted nervously in her chair, lowering her bottle of milk to the table. The human's expression was unreadable as she stared down the young Hylian. "Ashei, I… I'm sorry for what they did, I—"

"Don't worry about it, yeah? It's not your fault. What happened all came from your father's orders." Ashei sighed now, closing her eyes as she stood up straight. "I couldn't take vengeance… because I would be just like them. And what would that have accomplished? Vengeance breeds vengeance, hatred breeds hatred… I would have just put you in the position I myself was in… hurting from the loss, wanting revenge for the loss of loved ones...."

"I… do suppose that's true… but justice still needs to be served. That thought nags at my heart. Maybe when this is all settled, we can do something about that."

Ashei tilted her head slightly, about to comment when a loud peal of thunder seemed to shake the very table and chairs they sat at. For a few moments it had become silent… but the silence was broken abruptly by the door being slammed open, a figure stumbling in and falling to his knees. "Uh?" Ashei paused slightly, her eyes widening as she recognized who it was. "Shad!" She rushed from around the table, going over to him as Rusl and Auru shoved their chairs back and followed.

Danielle was frozen in shock for a moment before she left the bottle at the table and rushed over, crouching in front of the drenching wet scholar. "Uh, Shad, are you alright? What happened?"

"Ah… Ah… Ah…" He was panting heavily, struggling to catch his breath. Apparently he had been running as fast as he possibly could through the pouring rain. "Ba… Ba… Black… Black Armor…" he gasped as Telma came over with a glass of water. As she held it out to him, he snatched the glass and quickly downed it.

Her blood ran cold now, Danielle hesitating. Could it be…? "Black armor? What do you mean, Shad?"

After taking in and exhaling a deep breath, Shad looked up at all of them. "In the plaza… a man… with black armor… and a huge sword." He winced, pushing himself up to his feet now. "As soon as I saw him, I ran as fast as I could…"

Auru frowned, stroking his grey beard thoughtfully. "It sounds like we have some trouble."

"Yeah… and I think I know just who it is," Danielle spoke up, drawing all of their gazes as she tightly gripped Durandal's hilt. Without another word, she hurried out the door, hearing Ashei's surprised reply.

"Uh? Hey, you're not going out there alone!"

Not looking back, but seeing the warrior keeping pace beside her out of the corner of her eye, Danielle raced through the downpour as her stomach twisted into knots. Greil had come.


	26. Broken Promises

Their feet pounded against the wet stone ground, rain stinging their eyes as the group charged to the central plaza. Lightning flashed in the skies above, the whole town darkened by the storm clouds. Danielle and Ashei led the charge, Rusl hot on their heels and Auru and Shad bringing up the rear.

Skidding to a halt on the slipper stone once they had gotten around the fountain, Danielle stared at the armored figure that stood there before the gate towards the castle, Exaccus in hand. The jagged black armor bore spiked sections on the back, shoulders, knees, and forearms, the spines not jutting straight out but curved slightly towards the back. Around him were the unconscious forms of some town guards who had the guts to try and take him on, and much to Danielle's surprise, Leon was among them, looking pretty beaten up. Malevolence radiated from the figure, his head lifting up slightly. The opening for the eyes was barely noticeable, his voice muffled by the dark steel of his helmet.

"So, this is the little ragtag group of fools who helped you defeat those useless boys. What a disgrace."

Danielle drew Durandal, still getting used to the weight of the unfamiliar weapon as she held it in both hands. "You're the only one left, Greil. I'm going to set you back to your right mind!"

"Hahahaha! Idealistic fool… Do you really think I'm being controlled as a mindless puppet? You think that everything will be set right? You always were childish, and it seems that hasn't changed although your appearance has." He reached up, removing his helmet with his left hand and tossing it aside, the helm clattering to the ground. His normally rugged-yet-kind features were twisted in hatred, dark eyes narrowed dangerously. But it didn't look as if he was being controlled, seeming perfectly rational. "Once you lot are eliminated, I will rule this land and take my rightful place as king."

_Just like Cale when he was possessed, desiring power and dominion… he's being manipulated like a puppet, even if he doesn't believe that._

"You're insane, yeah?" Ashei retorted, stepping forward. "If you think you'll win and gain the throne, you're in for a rude awakening."

Greil titled his head slightly. "Ahh… so you're that fool of a subordinate's daughter. I figured Cale lacked the guts to finish you. You look so much like your mother…" At this, the warrior flinched and narrowed her eyes. "I heard she begged for mercy as Cale spilt the lifeblood from her frail body. Rejoice, for today you'll get to join her."

Ashei's expression very nearly twisted into one of rage as she heard Greil's words, but she managed to control herself and remain focused, although it was obvious it was quite a struggle. "You… will regret speaking those words," the swordswoman replied, drawing her blade and turning the weapon towards her opponent.

"Hahaha, is that so?" Greil raised his left hand, beckoning to Ashei now as he held Exaccus at his side. "Then come! Show me that your useless father taught you!"

Danielle looked to the side as Ashei darted forward, charging through the rain and pulling her blade back, bringing it around in a swift horizontal slash. But the blade clanged harmlessly against the thick black armor, Greil smirking now. "Is that all your letter opener can do?" he taunted, raising Exaccus in one hand and preparing to bring it crashing down on the human.

"Tch!" Danielle bent at her knees and sprinted in, bringing up Durandal with the palm of her left hand braced against the flat of the blade and blocking the blow before it could slam into Ashei. Unfortunately for her, the sheer force of the impact sent her flying backwards to the wet ground. Greil wasted no time in bringing down his fist towards Ashei's head though, the swordswoman sidestepping the blow and preparing to strike again. But she had made a mistake and left herself open for a counter, Greil taking the opening swiftly. Exaccus came around, tearing into her side and throwing her backwards. Ashei landed hard on her back, skidding along the ground as she clasped her free hand over her bleeding slide.

"Ashei!" Rusl cried, charging in with Auru in a duel attack. Auru had a blade in hand while Rusl carried his own sword, the two thrusting their swords forward in a dual-stab. Despite his bulky armor, Greil sidestepped and quickly retaliated with a sweeping slash, catching the two older men before they could bring up their swords to block. Rusl's armor lessened the blow a bit, but the two were both easily swept aside, landing in heaps upon the ground.

Danielle scowled, lifting her head as rain dripped down her face, grasping Durandal tightly. Greil was defeating them without any trouble, his might definitely something else. "Grah!" She kept low as she rushed forward, sweeping Durandal in an upwards arc to catch Greil under the shoulder as he lifted Exaccus back up, being rewarded with a grunt of pain. The young Hylian quickly made her way past him and to his back, Rusl managing to recover to try another strike. Rusl's sword nicked the side of Greil's face, the knight's visage twisting into an angry glare as he brought down his left fist in a powerful blow that slammed into the Ordonian's helmeted head.

"Rusl!" Danielle saw him collapse to the ground, now quickly dashing away from her uncle before he could turn around towards her. Things were not looking good at all. Ashei was still on the ground holding her side, trying to get up, while Auru was pushing himself away from the battleground, apparently already out of the fight. Greil turned his head towards her, smirking now and beckoning for her to come.

_He knows he has this battle in his hand… Dangit, what are we supposed to do?!_

She stood up straight, catching her breath before lunging forward again, leaping into the air to deliver a powerful jumping slash. But he reacted quicker than she expected, easily catching her throat with his gauntleted hand. "A-Agh!" Squirming in his grip, Danielle tried to use her left hand to pull away his, but to no avail.

"I'm deeply disappointed. This is all your little band of friends has to offer? Hmph. Hopefully Link will give a better challenge before I crush the life from him."

Danielle glared weakly at him, feeling light-headed and dizzy as his grip tightened even more. Suddenly, of all things, a rock hit Greil squarely in the forehead while a familiar voice shouted from behind Danielle. "Hey! You… you leave her alone!"

A scowl of irritation crossed Greil's face as he lowered his captive niece slightly and scanned the area behind her, but apparently there was nothing there. "Hmph. Cowardly boy." His dark gaze flickered down now to Danielle. "Perhaps I'll let you live long enough to watch all your friends die," he muttered, now flinging her towards the fountain.

Danielle's shoulder slammed first into the stone edge of the fountain, her head hitting next painfully hard. The world became an explosion of colors before her eyes, fiery pain ripping through her left shoulder. She had felt more than heard the cracking in her shoulder as it impacted the stone ledge, the youth knowing that something was broken.

\--------------------------

She wasn't sure how she had managed to find the strength to rise to her feet, but she did. Relying on her sword as a crutch she rose, Ashei now glaring down Greil as he peered around at the fallen members of the resistance. "What, all of you are already defeated? What a bore…"

"You… You haven't won yet…" she growled, clutching her injury.

Greil turned his head just slightly, smirking as he observed her injured and weakened state. "It seems I have. If you're the only one able to stand after just blow, then this battle is already mine."

Mustering up her last reserves of strength, the swordswoman raised her blade and pointed it at the knight, eyes narrowed. "Your… overconfidence… will be your downfall…" she managed to say between gasps.

"Hahahah! You've got spunk, just like your father… I'll give you that much." Greil took a step forward, Exaccus held by his side. "Maybe I'll bring your head to him when I'm finished with you. I'd love to see the horror on his face just before I finished him."

Glaring into Greil's eyes, Ashei stood her ground. "You… are nothing compared to my father! That will be proven once you're defeated here… at the hands of his daughter."

Greil paused now, looking rather amused by what she said as he raised his blade with ease. "That… we will see about!" He lunged forward, swinging Exaccus sideways in a powerful blow to incapacitate her.

'Ngh!" Ashei turned to the side, trying to block the blow with her blade, but only succeeded in slightly lessening the force of the blow. Yet again she was flung to the ground, clutching at her injury as she gasped in pain, now too weak and exhausted to get back up and continue the fight.

"Hmph. Foolish girl. Your time… is over." As she looked up, Ashei watched Greil approach, her dark executioner preparing to finish the job that Cale had failed to do.

\--------------------------

"D-Danielle…? Hey… Danielle… wake up! Danielle, you must wake up!"

Shad's quiet but frantic voice confused her. Had she blacked out? She could feel him gently but rapidly tapping her cheek to bring her around. Opening her eyes gradually, she saw Shad crouched there with a panicked expression on his face. When he looked back over his shoulder, he grew even more frantic. His warm hands took her right hand, closing it around the hilt of Durandal, which lay on the wet stone at her side. "Come on, you must get up, Danielle! Ashei, she's…!"

Danielle blinked slowly, trying to get her bearings straight as she looked to her uncle, who stood over a prone Ashei, the young woman staring up at her opponent. Everyone else was out of the fight, all of them now at Greil's mercy. She gripped the hilt of Durandal weakly, now struggling to rise to her feet while using the sword as support. Shad wrapped an arm around her waist to help her up, raindrops covering his spectacles.

_If I… don't do something… everyone is going to die…!_

Panting weakly, Danielle lifted her head and stumbled forward, feeling the warm light within her gradually building up, restoring some of her lost stamina as she prepared for her final desperate strike. She wouldn't let him win, wouldn't allow her friends to be slaughtered. Willing her legs to move, she now lunged forward as Exaccus was slowly raised into the air, her uncle preparing to cleave Ashei into two.

_I will not fail!_

As she rushed forward, her body seemed to move of its own accord, the world a rush of colors to her own eyes. Her uncle's shocked expression soon filled her vision, something warm trickling down her blade and onto her hand. At first she was confused, not realizing exactly what she had done until she looked down slightly and saw that the tip of Durandal was through Greil's neck.

_No…. please no… what… have I done!?_

She saw the crimson trickle that raced down the sword to her hand, Danielle jerking her hand away quickly. Greil's now-lifeless body toppled over sideways with a crash, the reality of what she had just done slamming into her. It had been an accident as she had tried to save Ashei from her possessed uncle, and instead of knocking him backwards, she had slain the man she had thought her father for her entire life.

Her knees cracked painfully hard against the street as she collapsed, staring down at the bright crimson on her hand that was gradually being washed away by the heavy rainfall. She pitched forward to her hands and knees now despite the pain in her left shoulder, retching at the painful twisting of her gut from the sorrow that tore at her viciously. The tears in her eyes were brought on not by the burning acidic bile she tasted in her mouth, but the guilt and grief that made her wish she could just crawl into a hole and die.

_Why, goddesses? Why!? Why did this have to happen!?_ she lamented, sobs escaping from her throat as she shut her eyes against the burning sting of tears.

"Danielle…" Shad's voice came from nearby, the scholar approaching with a sympathetic look on his face as he placed his hands upon her shoulder. "You… You did what you had to do, Danielle. He was going to kill innocent people. He was going to kill you… It was self-defense."

Danielle flinched slightly as she felt his hands on her shoulders and heard the words he spoke, but they did little to comfort her. How could she be consoled after what had happened? She had promised her brother and cousins that she would free Greil, and now she had been the one to break her own promise.

Pushing herself up to her knees with her good hand, Danielle reared her head back to stare up at the blackened sky above, Shad still gently grasping her shoulders. She shut her eyes tight, releasing the sorrowful cry that built up within her towards the uncaring sky, heard only by her friends who had witnessed what she had done.


	27. Darkness and Despair

Ashei stumbled slowly to her feet once more, hand clasped tightly over her injury to staunch the slow flow of blood. Her heart hurt for this broken young girl, stuck with a body that hid her true age. She had almost forgotten that the Hylian was still only fourteen, and her actions had undoubtedly dealt a severe blow to her sanity that would never be healed.

_Judgment was delivered upon Greil… but why did it have to be his own daughter? Goddesses, how could you do this to a mere child?_

She looked now towards Shad, who was staring down at the girl in pity as he held her shoulders. By now, Rusl had managed to be awakened by Auru, moving a bit unsteadily from the blow he had taken to his head. They were all weary and hurt, but the injuries could have been much worse. It had just felt as if that cursed blade had devoured her stamina so quickly. Ashei watched them approach Greil, carrying out the grim task of removing Durandal and closing the knight's glazed, unseeing eyes. "Shad," the warrior called softly, barely audible over the pouring down rain. As the young man looked up, she motioned for him to help her to her feet. He nodded and carefully stood up, supporting Danielle as she stood there with her eyes downcast, tears dripping to the ground.

"Danielle, please… do not blame yourself for what happened," Shad murmured, but she didn't respond. Without a word she pulled away from him, leaving the scholar looking a bit uncertain about what to do as she stumbled towards the fallen greatsword that Greil had used against them. Ashei could see the tremble not just in her hand that reached for its hilt, but in her whole body. How Danielle could even stand right now, she had no idea. It looked as if she was about to just collapse once again, sobbing her heart out in remorse… Watching, Ashei said nothing while the young girl used both hands to lift up slightly from the ground the weapon that was nearly as large as herself.

The rain gradually began to lessen now, but the sky remained darkened by rain-burdened clouds. Trying to figure out what she could say to comfort the grieving young girl, she was about to approach when she noticed something strange. A foreboding wind had begun to blow, the six weapons Danielle now possessed glowing with a cold, golden light. "Uh, Danielle?!"

At Ashei's shout the youth looked back in confusion, but it was too late. Time seemed to stand still as darkness surrounded her, Danielle's eyes suddenly filled with fear before her body faded away, strange black squares shooting up into the dark sky, leaving no trace of Danielle or the weapons.

"Ah! Where… where did she go!?" Shad questioned in shock, looking around quickly as Ashei approached where the young girl had been standing just moments before.

Wearing a frown, Ashei lifted her head towards the castle, which was still incased in that prism of strange energy. Things had just gone from bad to worse, and while the two older men scoured the area for any clues as to where Danielle was taken, Ashei knew they wouldn't find anything.

Something had snatched Danielle away, taking with her the cursed weapons that held unholy power.

\--------------------------

Danielle was on her knees, unable to move as she found herself in the throne room of Hyrule Castle, the very place she had been when twilight first invaded the realm. An invisible force shackled her to the floor, the six weapons in a loose circle around her while their crystals burned with dark, multicolored fire.

_A trap… an elaborate trap. This must have been Zant's doing, and now I'm right where he wants me._

The guilt and sorrow she had felt was mostly replaced by fear and unease, her blue eyes flickering quickly about the throne room. With the storm outside, it had darkened considerably, but she could still make out many of the details. The relief of the golden Triforce surrounded by the three goddesses had been desecrated, the statues damaged in a manner that told of unspeakable rage against them. One was even severed at the torso, the others having their stone heads lying on the ground near the throne. Unfortunately, this only served to fuel her anxiety.

An evil wind began to howl outside now, causing her to crane her neck over her shoulder and peer out the entryway. A shiver ran up her spine, every hair on her arm standing on end. She could feel an evil presence nearby, her heart pounding painfully fast in her chest.

"Heh… heh… heh…" A deep, dark, and slow cackle broke the silence within the throne room, ice filling Danielle's veins as her eyes widened. "Tell me, young one… what is it that you fear?" The question seemed to come from everywhere at once, the young Hylian looking around quickly for its source. "Is it… pain? Loneliness? …Death? Bearing witness to everything and everyone you care about descending unto chaos?"

Danielle couldn't figure out where the voice was coming from, doing her best to search the darkened throne room for its source. Tendrils of fear crept through her, her chest tightening with each breath. "Who… who's there!?" she shouted, the fear evident in her voice. As she looked back forward, she spotted a dark, armored figure seated in the throne, right elbow on the armrest and his chin resting against his clenched fist.

"Heh… That's right. Tremble before the one who shall bring all your nightmares to life. This little…  _kingdom_ is now in the hands of its true, rightful ruler."

Something about this man brought the deepest of fears to the young girl. His skin was an unnatural dark gray, fiery orange hair pulled back by a strangely designed golden headdress at rear of his head, small beaded chains connected to a single gleaming yellow gem that stood out with stark contrast against his dark skin. His eyebrows extended out to the sides of his head, flowing seamlessly into his hair at the side, as did his beard. He held in his left hand a finely crafted scabbard of dark blue with gold-trimmed steel, most of the middle section wrapped by strangely designed cloth. The blade itself was what really stood out, formed of what appeared to be sacred light. The strange man's stomach bore cracked armor, revealing a wound that pulsed with the same light as what his blade was composed of. Armor of the same color and design as the sword sheath adorned his tall, muscular form, a blood red cape reaching down to the ground, his hands covered by fingerless black leather gloves.

"This… this kingdom isn't yours! Who the heck are you, anyways!?" It took a lot of nerve to shout at this strange man, and she almost immediately regretted it as he slowly rose to his feet, approaching her. In his calm, focused eyes, she could see an evil gaze that matched the aura around him, which gradually strengthened as he approached. The force of that power was twisting her stomach into knots, sickening her. She struggled to even breathe normally, feeling as if the aura of evil was suffocating her.

"This entire kingdom lies under the point of my thumb. You are as weak and powerless now as every pathetic creature walking the surface of  _my_ lands… and yet still you defy me?" He lifted his head slightly, peering down at her with slight amusement. "You kneel before the king of this land, one who could crush the life out of you so swiftly. Do you honestly think you stand even the slightest chance?"

"Not me… Link will defeat you!"

"Link?" He stood there menacingly over her, several feet taller than the young girl who was restricted by the power of the weapons. "Oh yes… your _hero._ " He couldn't help but chuckle now, raising his right hand as a fearsome dark power began to envelop his fist. "Heheheh… This is what awaits your precious hero." As he spoke he aimed his open palm forward, mere inches from Danielle's face. A crest of three golden triangles lit up upon the back of his hand, the top triangle of the pyramid shining brightest of all. "Haaaaaaaa!" With a mighty roar, a wave of powerful dark energy surged forth, the entire throne room being lit up by the wave.

Danielle was caught at the very heart of the blast, purple light filling her vision as a numbing pain ripped through her body with such savagery that she thought she was being torn apart, the very blood within her veins feeling as if it been turned to ice. Blasted backwards by the force of the dark magic, she landed hard on her already injured shoulder, crying out sharply while she rolled a few feet. Groaning weakly, she forced open her eyes a bit, finding herself feeling feeble and exhausted. Had the blast completely sapped her of all her strength? Pushing herself over onto her side, she saw that her arms were smaller now, and the realization slowly dawned on her: her body had been returned to its true form, a feeble youth of fourteen.

"Heh heh heh heh…" The man chuckled deeply again from behind her. "You couldn't hide your princess from me for long, little whelp." At these words, Danielle gasped a bit, looking back to see the lifeless, unmoving body of none other than Princess Zelda. Somehow, this mysterious figure had managed to split apart the two sisters with ease… and now the ruler of the kingdom was in the palm of his hand. "Your feeble magic amounted to nothing compared to my power." Still smirking, he motioned upward with his hand, Zelda's body beginning to rise into the air high above the throne room, now resting in the middle of the relief of the Triforce crest. "Know this, little girl. I am Ganondorf, the new king of Hyrule… and I hold the power of the goddesses themselves!"

The weapons no longer held her in place, but her body was weary and refused to move at first as she forced herself to her knees, gasping sharply in pain and favoring her injured shoulder. "You… will never be our king! You will fall…!"

Ganondorf chuckled once more in amusement as he looked down at her. "Pitiful, insignificant fool… and a murderer at that." Danielle's eyes widened instantly, the wind feeling as if it had been knocked out of her lungs. "Killing that man in cold blood… driving the tip of cold steel into his throat. You defying me is the same as an ant trying to move stone."

The eye of Ganondorf had apparently seen even her confrontation with Greil, as he was able to recount the young Hylian's actions with ease. His words struck a nerve, the sorrow that had been buried beneath the fear slowly resurfacing, the sting of tears in her eyes. "S-Shut up! I didn't mean to kill him!!" she shouted in protest, glaring at the evil king through tear-filled eyes.

"You were powerless to save him. You could only selfishly save yourself," he continued, ignoring her weak shouts. "And here, you can't even manage to do that before me. You are a worthless, powerless wretch." Ganondorf smirked now. "Everything that has happened to this point has been my will… and you followed blindly as the puppet master has directed you. Even better, you have done me the courtesy of delivering this land's precious princess to my feet on a silver platter." That cruel smirk widened now. "You have my thanks. Perhaps I shall spare you and keep you as my servant. You will at least perhaps become a fine young woman for me."

Disgusted, her heart burning with hatred for this man, Danielle reached out for the hilt of Durandal. She didn't want to believe his words, that her actions had been controlled by the evil warlock, every single action she had performed inadvertently being part of his will. And the fact that she had ended up delivering her own older sister, the one who had given everything she had to save both Midna and herself, to this madman? "I… am not your puppet!" she shouted, sorrow mixed with rage in her voice as she grasped the hilt of Durandal with both hands despite the pain in her left shoulder. Fueled by the strength from her anger, she rushed forward and swung the heavy blade as hard as she could at his head.

Just as Durandal's blade was about to cleave into the evil king's neck, the weapon came to a stop mere inches from his neck, frozen in midair. She tried to pull away the blade to step back, but it wouldn't even budge in the slightest as Ganondorf's cruel smirk widened, his piercing eyes staring into her own. "How hard of hearing you are. It is as I told you… Everything that has come to pass has been my will." Without warning, a strange dark power similar to Ganondorf's own evil aura began to emanate from the cursed sword, Danielle staring at it in shock. "These weapons obey their true master. No one can turn them against him… especially not a feeble child!"

Fear turned to pure terror, Danielle recoiling back a step as she released the blade, now having absolutely no way to fight Ganondorf. But before she get far, his icy cold hand latched onto her throat, grasping tightly as he lifted her into the air by her neck with ease. Holding the small girl at eye level, he smirked and summoned Durandal into his free hand. "Perhaps you would like to suffer the same fate as the one you murdered…? Cold steel tearing through your puny little neck… or perhaps I should ram it through your heart? Or maybe I should just drive a point through that thick head of yours…"

Squirming in his unyielding grip, she could only watch as he slowly lifted up the blade, preparing to strike. She wanted to close her eyes, to not see the bloodstained steel as the deathblow was dealt, but she couldn't tear her gaze away. But at the last minute Ganondorf lowered the blade, an expression of enjoyment on his face as he witnessed the terror that had taken hold of the girl. "Hmph. You spoke of that pathetic boy, Link… Perhaps I'll keep you around to watch as I crush your precious hero." He tossed aside Durandal, still holding Danielle by her throat. "You will witness firsthand… the dusk of this world as shadow finally engulfs it."

Danielle couldn't speak, focused only on gasping for air as she saw the crest of the Triforce glow on the back of his hand. A numbing feeling overcame her, the youth suddenly unable to move at all as Ganondorf used his immense power to restrain her body entirely. He released her throat, her body hanging there in the air. With a motion of his hand, she was slammed back-first against the relief behind the throne, pinned there just under the Triforce. Her arms were pulled out sharply to the sides with enough force to send pain tearing through her already injured shoulder, Danielle screaming out in pain but unable to squirm or move her arm.

Ganondorf's rumbling chuckle reached her ears as he looked back at her, that cold, cruel smirk on his face. "Soon enough, that pain will be the least of your concerns…" Taking a seat once more at the throne, he turned his gaze towards the entryway into the throne room as Danielle hung there, helpless and afraid.

_Goddesses, help us all…_


	28. Hero

The crackling of flame filled the throne room as golden fire engulfed the boarish monstrosity that Ganondorf had become, Link standing before it in his human form once more, Master Sword in hand. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the body slowly burn away, a yelp of pain from behind him drawing his attention now. Glancing back, he saw Danielle collapse to the ground from where she had been pinned against the statue, grimacing and holding her left shoulder, which seemed to be injured, possibly dislocated. Of course, he couldn't tell too well from where he stood.

Danielle stumbled to her feet a bit ungracefully, coming out from behind the throne with a pained look as she hissed through her clenched teeth. As her blue eyes fell upon the unmoving princess, concern filled her face. "Uh, why won't she wake up…?"

Link couldn't give her an answer, the same question crossing his mind. He turned his attention now to Midna, who watched with a narrowed eye as the last of Ganon's remains burned away in the golden fire. There seemed to be a hint of satisfaction on her face, but it was hard to tell. But something strange was happening, an aura of golden light surrounding her body as sparkles began to drift backwards. The Twili looked at her hands in shock, uncertain of what was going on before looking backwards to the unconscious Princess Zelda. Light was flowing from Midna and into Hyrule's ruler, and when the last note of light entered her body, the princess's chest slowly began to rise and fall as her clear blue eyes came open. Princess Zelda was finally awake.

Of all of them, it was Midna who seemed to be most in shock by this turn of events, a hint of sorrow in her voice as she stared at the princess. "Pr-Princess… I… I…"

"Say nothing, Midna," Zelda interjected softly. "Your heart and mine were as one, however briefly… Such suffering you have endured…"

The Twili's lip seemed to quiver slightly, but she didn't cry, Link now watching as Zelda rose up from the throne and turned to the stunned young Hylian at her side. Danielle looked like she was barely able to stand right now, one hand gripping the back of the throne tightly to support herself. When Zelda's gaze fell upon Danielle, a smile spread across her face that told of immense relief and yet a deep sorrow as she suddenly reached out, wrapping her arms about Danielle while taking care to not hurt her dislocated left shoulder any further. "Thank the goddesses you are safe," she murmured, just barely audible.

Danielle managed to raise her right arm in a somewhat awkward return of the embrace, her head resting briefly on Zelda's shoulder. "I… I'm so glad you're okay, Princess…"

Link gazed curiously upon this reunion, wondering just what was going on. It wasn't quite natural of rulers to embrace others even if they were acquainted… right? Perhaps there was something going on that he just wasn't aware of, something between the two. Zelda slowly pulled away, smiling gently down at Danielle before turning to face Link and Midna, taking a step forward to join them.

"Well, I think it's time we get going," Link spoke up now, not liking having to be the one to interrupt the reunion. This wasn't really the safest place to be having it, even if Ganondorf had just been defeated. Zelda nodded in agreement, while Danielle took up the longsword Durandal to use as a makeshift crutch in walking. He was eager to be out of this castle that was still somewhat overrun with monsters…

"…Wait." Midna lifted a hand now, stopping Link as her eye narrowed slightly. Much to his confusion, the imp was staring down Danielle, who seemed somewhat dazed and surprised upon seeing Midna's icy stare.

"Huh…? What's the hold-up, Midna? Let's get out of here already…"

The Twili's frown only deepened as she stared at Danielle for a few more seconds, Link exchanging a confused glance with Zelda before Midna finally spoke up once again. "Nothing. Never mind. Let's go." Turning, she began to hover off towards the entryway of the throne room, Link and Zelda following close behind. What was with Midna's unusual behavior? He thought that she had actually taken a liking to Danielle, so what was with the sudden change in attitude? It made no sense whatsoever.

As they were walking towards the exit, Midna curled her hand slightly into a fist, her hair now taking the form of a large crimson hand before shooting backwards, just barely missing Link's head. A stunned expression on his face, he was about to ask just what was going on with Midna when he noticed her glaring  _past_ the hero. Turning abruptly, he was surprised to see Danielle there, her blade mere inches from striking Link, held back only by Midna's powers.

_What… is going on here!?_

Princess Zelda was the one to voice the question on Link's mind, her own eyes wide in shock. "Danielle? What in the world are you doing?!"

Danielle's face betrayed nothing, showing no remorse as she stepped back and lowered the cursed blade to her side. Not responding to the princess's query, she raised Durandal horizontally to her side with one arm, a feat that should have been impossible for the young girl who could barely even hold a smaller sword with one hand. The gem on the hilt of the blade burned with an inner red fire, a malicious presence radiating from the weapon. She lunged forward towards them, trying to not give them much of a chance to react as she swiped with her blade.

Zelda managed to step back in the nick of time, Link not so fortunate as he received a slight cut on his sword-arm that seared with pain. The blade of Durandal was heating up, glowing red hot and searing the blood that stained it. Resisting the urge to gag at the sickening odor that rose into the air, Link took up his shield just in time to block another strike from Danielle's blade, but the flames that leapt from the steel singed his clothes slightly and caused him to wince. With her sword still pressed against his shield, he shoved forward hard to knock her backwards, succeeding in causing her to stumble slightly.

Before he had a chance to rush in and try to disarm her, Danielle smirked, flames leaping from Durandal and surrounding her before taking the shape of draconic, fiery wings behind her. She rose high into the air, out of range of his blade while glaring down at them, those wings spread out behind her. The temperature in the room jumped even higher, sweat rolling down Link's face. At this rate, they would probably die from the heat instead of strike from the actual weapon if they didn't do anything!

"…Heh." Danielle raised Durandal towards the ceiling, fire leaping from the blade once more. The flames filled the air, but their source never diminished. As she pointed at them with her sword, the flames gathered into fiery spheres, now shooting down at them. Midna created a barrier of Twili magic to protect herself and Zelda, but Link was left to dodge the barrage of fireballs. He didn't want to hurt her, but right now there was no other choice. Drawing his bow, he swiftly notched an arrow and took aim, letting it fly at her injured left shoulder before she had a chance to react.

Not a sound escaped her lips, but her eyes widened sharply as the arrow pierced into her flesh, halting her attack on the trio. She landed on the ground, switching Durandal to her left hand and trying to pull the arrow from her shoulder, but this distraction was all Midna needed. Her hair quickly took the form of a hand once more, shooting forward and slamming so hard into Danielle that Durandal was sent flying from her grip, the aggressive youth pinned now against the wall. "Gotcha," Midna growled with satisfaction, keeping Danielle pinned there even as she began to squirm to get free.

"Danielle… what's gotten in to you?" Zelda questioned now, a frown on her face.

"Isn't it obvious? It's not over yet. Something's inside her head," Midna replied, never once taking her eyes off of Danielle.

Link couldn't help but frown deeply. This wasn't good news at all. Was this some trick of Ganondorf's, or was it something else? "What are we supposed to do? If we keep fighting, she's going to end up getting hurt even worse than she is now."

Midna turned her head to glance back at him, then shifted her gaze to something on the floor. At first, it took Link a second to realize what she was looking at until he noticed Durandal there, the crystal still emanating a strange, dark energy. "That's the key. Those weapons contain a powerful dark force in them… and I think that may be what's controlling her. We need to destroy the crystals on those weapons!"

"Right!" Link took his holy blade, the Master Sword, in hand as he rushed at the fallen sword, feeling the heat the blade generated increasing as if it was trying to protect itself. Not one to be deterred by a little heat, especially considering he had made his way through the Goron mines, he stabbed the tip of his blade into the crystal as hard as he could. Flames shot from the shattered crystal, a draconic roar seeming to come from the blade as the fire on Durandal burned out, the same happening for Danielle's fiery wings as the temperature returned to normal.

_Midna was right! But that means we have to shatter the crystals on all of the weapons… and this was only one of six._

Midna let out a grunt of surprise, Link looking quickly to the side as Danielle squirmed free of the pain, holding on her right hand. Animus shot past Link, very nearly striking him in the face, as did the bow Mugre. Her new weapon's crystal glowed with pale green light, summoning fierce winds into the throne room that threatened to blow the three away.

"You don't have to do this!" Zelda shouted, one arm covering her eyes as she squinted up at Danielle. "Let us help you! Fight the darkness!"

There was no response, just a blank and uncaring expression as the winds swirled about her and lifted her into the air. Already Link could tell that his arrows wouldn't be able to reach with how fierce a gale surrounded her. Now protected from both long-ranged and close-ranged attacks, Danielle leveled her bow horizontally, air gathering at its tip before shooting forward like a deadly bolt of wind straight at Link. He dove to the side quickly, the wind slamming into the stone floor instead and hitting hard enough to actually chip away somewhat at the stone. There was definitely no way he could withstand getting hit by one of those.

_It's impossible for us to get close to her or hit her with any long-ranged attacks, which means…_

Getting an idea, Link quickly donned his iron boots so that the howling winds couldn't blow him about, turning his gaze towards the two princesses. "Midna, help me get in close! Princess, do your best to cover us!" Without missing a beat, Midna once more formed her hair into a hand and grasped Link with it. Zelda darted to the side, barely avoiding a long blade of wind that tore through the air behind her. Growling, Danielle leveled her bow once more at Link, apparently thinking he would be an easy target now that he was wearing the iron boots.

Smirking, Link readied his sword in shield, knowing that he was about to give the possessed Hylian the surprise of her life. "Midna! Now!"

"Mm!! Hah!" Using her great power, Midna flung Link straight towards Danielle as a Hylian projectile. The combination of the force of the throw and the weight of his boots made it impossible for the winds to bar his path, and he had time to see Danielle's smirk fall away and be replaced by shock before he lashed out swiftly with his sword. He didn't see the crystal he struck shatter, but he felt a jolt run along his weapon and heard a high-pitched screech pierce the air, the winds dying away. Tucking his shoulder in, Link rolled along the ground and came up in a crouch, quickly removing the hefty boots and spinning on his heel.

Danielle had landed on the ground in a crouch herself, the axe Armads now in the hand clad by Animus. Midna was hovering there, panting from the exertion of throwing Link, which also left her open. "No!" Link shouted, Danielle crashing Armads into the ground, cracking the stone and sending electricity shooting out towards them. Link was able to jump aside to avoid it, but he could only watch as Princess Zelda rushed in towards the cursed Twili, taking the brunt of the blow to her back. Her scream rent the air, Zelda collapsing to the ground.

"Ah…!" Link bore his teeth in anger, now charging straight for Danielle. She barely had time to turn her head, a savage grin on her face, before Link slammed into her back with his shield and threw her to the floor. He had no time to see how Princess Zelda was doing, focused only on disarming Danielle before she could strike again. Electricity crackled along the gold-plated axe head, but before she had a chance to retaliate he plunged the Master Sword's tip into the crystal, shattering it as a howl filled the air. The lightning that surged forth from the crystal ran along his blade, causing him to cry out before being blown backwards.

_Ah… shoot, that hit me hard_ , he thought, grunting in pain as he rolled over and scrambled to his feet. Suddenly, something shot past his side, barely nicking his skin before shattering against the stone floor. At first it took him a second to realize it had been a spear of ice that had nearly impaled before he got moving, just barely avoiding another icy spear. Turning his gaze towards his opponent, he saw Danielle approaching with Malte in hand. A thick armor of ice covered her entire body, and each step she took forward caused frost to spread from her foot along the stone floor.

Link took a step back, frowning as she approached and ready to block or dodge her next strike. He was unprepared as she stomped her foot on the ground, ice suddenly shooting along the floor and quickly encasing both of his legs. Caught off guard by the sudden move, he tried to break free, but to no avail as the ice slowly spread up his body, encasing him in a cold prison. As Danielle raised her lance to finish off the trapped hero, a massive golden hand suddenly snatched her up without warning, a cry of surprise escaping her lips.

"Midna!" Link shouted, seeing the imp in her most powerful form, that of a six-armed beast. A spear was in two of its free hands, another ripping Animus from Danielle's hand. It paid no attention to her cry of pain, piercing the two massive spears of golden twilight into the crystals on them. With the two weapons Danielle held rendered useless, it flung her away and reverted to the form of Midna. Exhausted from using such a powerful form yet again and needing to regain her energy, Midna collapsed into a sitting position next to the fallen Princess Zelda, giving Link a slight nod.

Only one weapon remained, and then this whole ordeal would be over.

Seeing Danielle pick up Exaccus, blood flowing from her injured shoulder down her left arm, Link quickly rushed over to the two princesses. He would make his stand between Danielle and the two. "Hmph." Readying the Master Sword, he stared his opponent down coolly.

"If you… are the only one standing… then this shall be easy," Danielle growled, grinning as she raised the greatsword. Suddenly, darkness filled the entire room, the darkness so thick that Link couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. This was bad.  _Very_  bad. Standing there in a defensive stance, he could hear Danielle's uncharacteristic cruel laugh from all around him, but he couldn't pinpoint her location. A sharp, searing pain lanced through his back, causing him to stagger forward as he was struck from behind by the powerful greatsword. He retaliated quickly with a strike of his own, hoping to catch his attacker, but his blade was met with nothing but air. Before he could turn, another strike tore into his right side, driving him to his knees as he felt hot blood flow from the wound.

Once more, Danielle's voice rang out in the darkness, filled with malice and a twisted joy. "Pathetic. Nothing you can do will pierce the darkness. You and the two princesses… will die here at my hands!"

His mind raced to think of what to do, but only one idea entered his mind. Remembering his training, he sheathed his blade and focused, closing his eyes. He would have only one chance at this, and if he messed up… then his life and the lives of everyone in Hyrule were forfeit.

Listening intently, he heard a slight rush of wind, his long ears twitching as he turned in a sidestep, feeling Exaccus graze his flesh. Using the angle of the wound to judge Danielle's position in the darkness, he grasped his blade with both hands and swiftly drew the weapon, swinging the flat of his blade as hard as he could manage in a blow at her head. He was rewarded with a grunt of pain and a heavy clatter, Link stumbling towards the cursed greatsword. He couldn't see the weapon in the darkness, but the waves of malice that radiated from its crystal told him exactly where it was.

_This ends here!_

"Hah!" He brought down the Master Sword's tip, an otherworldly roar escaping from the weapon's crystal as the darkness in the throne room was dispersed as quickly as it came. It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the light once more, but as he looked around, he was shocked to see Danielle on her knees with her back to the two fallen princesses, the now-powerless Durandal in her hand. Despite the fact that all of the weapons had been rendered useless, hatred still filled Danielle's face.

"Hah… hah… you think… you have won?" she growled, gasping heavily for air.

Link grunted, favoring the wound to his side as he glared right back at her. "Give up, already. You're beaten."

"Perhaps… but you will… never release her!" Danielle turned the blade now, pressing the tip to her chin as she prepared to drive the sword through herself.

Link knew he wouldn't be able to reach her to stop her in time, his eyes growing wide as whatever force that possessed Danielle was about to end her live. "No!!" But before the deed was carried out, a giant red hand slammed hard into Danielle's side, throwing her aside and causing Durandal to clatter once more to the ground. The Hylian herself went skidding along the floor, a red smear left on the stone as her injured shoulder brushed against it. "Ah?" Link saw Midna there, sitting next to the seemingly-unconscious Princess Zelda and grasping her hand. The crest of the Triforce was glowing brightly on it.

"In case you didn't hear, he said 'you're beaten'," Midna spoke, her eye narrowed.

Danielle let out a growl, stumbling to her feet and favoring her shoulder. "Hmph… you think… you can stop me from ending her life?"

"Maybe not me," Midna replied, smirking now, "but she can."

With these words, Zelda slowly pushed herself to her feet, now recovered from the blow she had taken as she focused a silent glare towards Danielle. The younger Hylian actually flinched, backing away as Zelda approached, her back soon hitting the wall. As the princess approached, the golden crest on her hand seemed to glow even brighter, Danielle now raising a hand to strike the princess in defense. But Zelda was prepared for this, moving much quicker than Danielle as she lunged forward. She reached out, digging her fingers into Danielle's temples. "You will use her for evil no longer!!" A powerful light erupted from the Triforce crest, filling the princess before pouring into Danielle.

"Aaagh! Aaahh!!" A deep cry that didn't belong to Danielle filled the air, darkness being driven from the young Hylian. Danielle's eyes glazed over now, her body going limp as the dark force was finally driven from her body. Princess Zelda caught her, gently laying her down on the stone floor.

The battle was finally over, but it seemed that it hadn't been without a cost. Link sheathed the Master Sword, slowly walking forward with Midna now hovering over his shoulder. Danielle wasn't moving at all, her skin pale, the blood barely even oozing from her shoulder now. "Princess, is she…?"

"Not yet, but close." Zelda closed her eyes briefly, sighing softly. "The light of life has been ripped from her body completely, leaving but a lifeless shell that is slowly dying. The weapons held her spirit within them, feeding off her life to fuel their evil magics." Opening her eyes once more, she reached out with one gloved hand to brush away wisps of hair from Danielle's face. "With the crystal prisons shattered, her light was freed. Can you feel her?"

Link hesitated, slowly looking about him. Indeed, he felt a strange presence around them. Was that what Zelda meant? Was that the spirit of the young girl who he had aided in freeing her family? As he watched, Zelda closed her eyes, placing her hands over Danielle's heart, left beneath right, the Triforce crest shining brightly. Light gathered about her, flowing through the princess and into the younger Hylian. After a scant few seconds, she inhaled sharply, Danielle's eyes coming open with a jolt. "A-Ah…?" Surprise and pain filled her gaze, her right hand reaching up and feeling the arrow that was still stuck in her shoulder.

Princess Zelda narrowed her eyes slightly, pulling her hand away gently. "Here…" Flinching slightly, she pulled the arrow from Danielle's flesh even as she let out a cry of pain, Zelda's hand now hovering over the injury. Light flowed from it and into the wound, the princess using her powerful magic to mend it.

Danielle blinked slowly, exhaling heavily. It was apparent she no longer felt the pain of the injury due to Zelda's healing magic, but the dislocated shoulder was probably a different story. "Uh…" She managed to sit up without much difficulty, an apologetic look on her face before she suddenly wrapped her arm around the princess. "I'm sorry. I… I saw everything… but I couldn't do anything to stop it…"

Zelda smiled gently, holding Danielle close now. "Do not fret, Danielle. All that matters is that you are safe. The evil that controlled you has been banished."

Link couldn't help but smile a bit himself. It was good to know that she would be okay and was finally back to her normal self. He couldn't help but wonder though… just what had been driving Danielle in that battle? Had it really been just the six weapons, or was it something else?

The crackling sound of fire reached his ears, Link frowned as he shot a glance over his shoulder. A mass of golden fire with Ganondorf's face had appeared there, leering at them. It seemed their joyful moment had been cut short yet again.


	29. The Final Clash

Everything seemed to happen too quickly for the weary and still-dazed Danielle, who finally felt back to normal thanks to Zelda's efforts. But now, what felt like mere moments after she had awoken, the strange fiery shape with the unmistakable visage of Ganondorf had appeared. Amazing power radiated from that fiery being, filling her with dread even at this distance. That power… was this Ganondorf's true power finally being revealed to them?

Motion near Midna caught her eye, strange black pieces of a helmet that matched the design of the imp's headdress floating about her. Link apparently knew exactly what she planned on doing, as he tried to reach for Midna, while it slowly dawned on Danielle just what was going on. Her friend was going to take on Ganondorf by herself. Glancing back with a slight smile, a strange sensation suddenly overcame Danielle, the same feeling from before when she had been warped to the throne room.

"Ah…!" She squinted, her eyes adjusting to the sudden sunlight, although it didn't take long due to it currently being sunset. Link, Princess Zelda, and Danielle had all been teleported out into the middle of Eldin Field. Confusion filled Danielle's face as she slowly rose to her feet, Zelda's gentle grip supporting her until she could find her balance. Could Midna defeat Ganondorf on her own? She noticed Link and Zelda exchange worried glances, but instead Danielle looked across the field towards the majestic Hyrule Castle. Hopefully, her friend who had helped save her life would be okay…

A few seconds later, a deep rumbling filled the air. "The castle!" Danielle cried, spotting the lightning that surged around the peak, which was where the throne room was. In an instant, a massive explosion rocked the castle, black clouds of smoke drifting into the air as chunks of rubble that hadn't been completely obliterated rained down on the land. The glory of Hyrule, the magnificent castle that had been the throne of the land, had been destroyed.

Feeling numb with shock, Danielle lifted her head at the cry of a horse from atop a nearby hill. There stood a demonic black steed there, its rider none other than Ganondorf. He raised Midna's headpiece triumphantly for them to see before crushing it with ease in one fist, letting the pieces fall to the ground.

_No… No way… it can't be… Midna can't be dead!_

They were given little time to mourn, for in one swift move Ganondorf had drawn his blade of light and charged towards them on his steed, a ghostly legion of riders appearing on either side of him. Danielle couldn't tear her gaze from the onslaught that rode towards them, hearing Link draw his blade but not looking at him. It was only when she felt one of Zelda's gloved hands take her own that she averted her gaze, hearing the princess murmuring.

"Spirits of the light! Wielders of the great power that shines far and wide upon the lands of our world… in my hour of need, grant me the light to banish evil!"

A strange, tugging sensation took hold of Danielle, her eyes flickering back to the charging legion. Just before they were trampled, the whole world vanished around her. Instead of Hyrule Field, she stood in very shallow water filled with golden light, the air nothing but pitch black. From all around them, the cries of the light spirits reached their ears. Ordon, Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru each appeared, sending forth the golden light that they carried. The four orbs gathered together in Zelda's hands, forming ornate golden arrows. As Danielle gazed at them, she could almost feel the warm light that had formed them. Was this the "light to banish evil" that Princess Zelda had mentioned in her prayer?

Link approached Zelda now, Danielle looking quickly between the two. Zelda lifted up her head to gaze at him, a pleading look on her face. "Link… Chosen hero! Lend us the last of your power!"

Much to Danielle's surprise, the ruler of the entire kingdom actually  _bowed_ to Link. The princess was submitting herself to the young man from Ordon Village. The meaning of this gesture was truly profound. Danielle stared on in shock, watching now as Link held out a hand to Zelda. As she took it, light filled Danielle's vision, the young Hylian finding herself once more in Hyrule Field. Her friend and her sister were mounted upon Link's steed, Epona, and the princess held a golden bow in her hand.

"Danielle," Link called, drawing her attention. He was holding out his bow and quiver to her from his mounted position. Danielle took them both, slinging the quiver across her chest and holding the bow itself in her left hand. "Use this only if needed, but don't try to fight. Take cover, alright? We'll deal with Ganondorf."

She didn't need to be told twice, nodding in obedience and taking a step back. "Link, Princess Zelda… be careful."

Zelda smiled gently in return, looking forward now as Link urged Epona on, the two of them riding off and leaving Danielle standing there alone. "Mm…" Danielle frowned, wondering just how she had been caught up in all of this. Here on this field, the three holders of the sacred Triforce had met. How did she end up on this battlefield, helpless and trying to survive while the chosen ones battled?

_Unless this is some cruel prank of the goddesses that I be here. What good can I even do? I'm back to my weak self, I can barely use my left arm, and the most powerful man in the whole world is riding around on this field trying to kill my sister and my friend!_

She had been running for a while when she came to a sudden halt, her eyes widening sharply in surprise. "Oh, this is not good," she muttered, seeing a barrier of golden magic blocking the path to Kakariko Village. Turning her head sharply, she could also barely make out the same barrier over the eastern entrance into Castle Town. Ganondorf had made certain there would be no escape from Hyrule Field, which meant Danielle was trapped here while they battled.

"Great, just great. Things are  _not_ going in my favor." She wracked her brain to think of some way out of her predicament, the sounds of battle across the field reaching her ears. They would alternate between drawing closer and getting farther away, but at least she was safe… for the moment.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, unnatural dark stormclouds in the golden sky. Things weren't looking good for her right now. Not only was escape possible, but a ferocious storm was about to come. She would have to find a hiding spot and hope that the battle didn't draw near to her. Still cursing her luck, Danielle began to trudge off across the field.

" _Danielle!"_

Zelda's cry caused her to nearly jump, her head snapping back over her shoulder. Hoof beats filled the air, Ganondorf now charging towards her on his black steed. He looked to be a bit injured, bloodlust filling his eyes. A good ways off behind him, Link was charging on Epona and trying to catch up.

_Curses, there goes that idea!_

She spun on her heel, drawing an arrow from over her shoulder and notching it, holding the bow horizontally. Her shoulder screamed in pain, protesting the movements, but she did her best to endure while taking aim at the shape of Ganondorf on his great horse as it steadily grew larger. Running away from someone on a horse was impossible, especially when it was as fast as Ganondorf's. That left her with very few options, and her current plan probably wouldn't even work.

" _Run, Danielle! Run!!!"_

"Steady…" she whispered to herself, baring her teeth against the pain in her shoulder while trying to slow her racing heart. Despite being terrified, she stood her ground and waited for the perfect moment, even as Ganondorf bore down on her.

_Now!_

She let loose the arrow and jumped to the right, watching the arrow pierce into the eye of that demonic black steed. But she had underestimated Ganondorf's reach, her eyes widening as she noticed that blade of light lash out quickly before pain tore through her left shoulder blade and collar bone. The bow slipped from her unfeeling fingers, an arrow of golden light shooting past her. She saw Link dash by on Epona to deliver a final, powerful strike with the Master Sword. But after this, Danielle was unaware of anything else, sinking to her knees as her gaze drifted to her left shoulder and the crimson liquid that rushed from a gaping wound that reached nearly three inches from her shoulder to her chest.

Instinctively, she clamped a hand over the gash, but it did little good as the pain finally registered in her shocked brain. She gasped sharply, dizziness assaulting her head as she hit the grassy ground on her right side in a slightly curled position, feeling the flow of blood quickening with the rapid pounding of her heart.

_Fine way to die… from making a stupid mistake…! Goddesses, is this punishment… for killing Greil…?_

Hands gently turned her over onto her back, Zelda's worried face coming into view. "Danielle, hold on… you'll be okay," she whispered, her gloved hand gently resting upon Danielle's bloodied hand that was clamped over her injury. The princess was trying to use her magic to temporarily seal the wound and prevent further blood loss, but in Danielle's mind it would do little good unless the wound itself was actually mended.

"Am I… going to die…?" she whispered weakly, her face slightly pale as she gasped sharply yet again. It hurt so much, and she was having trouble focusing as her body slipped into shock.

Zelda paused slightly, the worry even clearer than before. "I don't know," she admitted in a low, sorrowful voice, "but I do not plan on losing you. Conserve your strength, and do not try to speak." Using her free hand, the princess lifted Danielle's head from the ground so that it rested on her lap as she sat there with the injured youth.

The minutes melted away, the clamor of battle nearby indicating that Link and Ganondorf were locked in a vicious duel. Danielle struggled to not give in to the weariness that slowly seeped through her, but it was so difficult. She tried to keep her attention focused on the howl of the wind and the clashing of blades, knowing that if she even gave in for one moment to that desire to sleep, she could be gone forever.

Suddenly, a deep, sharp cry filled the air. Danielle's eyes slowly drifted over to where Ganondorf and Link fought. Link was now backing up towards Zelda as the dark clouds overhead slowly began to disperse. The dark king stood there, master Sword impaled through his wound as he panted, growling weakly at them. "Do not think it ends here… The history of light and shadow will be written in blood!" Rage filled his voice, the crest of the Triforce on his fist slowly dimming before vanishing completely. At this, Ganondorf looked shocked, his hands falling to his side. With a surprised grunt, his head lifted slightly before his eyes glazed over and his chin fell to his chest, his body standing there unmoving. The evil king was dead.

As the sun slowly began to shine through the clouds, Link crouched before Danielle, sadness and regret in his clear blue eyes. "How is she?" he questioned of Zelda, but the princess didn't reply, merely shaking her head solemnly. Link paused now before resting a hand on Danielle's uninjured shoulder and squeezing it gently. "I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough to stop him," he murmured, slowly rising to his feet.

Danielle just bore her teeth slightly, unable to hold in a slight groan that escaped through clenched teeth as she closed her eyes briefly. Could this really be it? It couldn't end like this… not when she had her family waiting for her. A gasp from nearby caused her to open her eyes as quickly as she could manage, a shining light atop a distant hill catching her attention as it had Link and Zelda's. The four light spirits were there, peering down at a solitary black figure before gazing towards the three Hylians and slowly vanishing from sight.

"Ah..!" Link suddenly took off running towards the figure, leaving Danielle and Zelda there. Danielle was confused, unable to really tell what was going on at this distance, but she let her eyes fall closed again. She couldn't keep them open anymore, her mind tired and just wanting to sleep as Zelda gently caressed her forehead.

"Do you think you can help?" Link's voice questioned after what seemed like only a few seconds had passed to the dazed youth.

"Perhaps. It'll be risky, but it may be the only way. Princess, could you lend a hand?" a somewhat familiar voice questioned.

Danielle could feel heat and cold flow through her injury, the pain almost immediately dulling. She could no longer feel the flow of blood, but she still felt quite weary from the blood loss so far. Confused, Danielle managed to force open her eyes slightly, seeing a strange figure standing there. She was  _very_ tall, her body markings very similar to those of Midna's. Some of her long orange hair was tied together just over her chest, a strange dark grey hooded robe covering her head, the top part of her arms, and reaching down her back all the way to her feet with the inside of it being a teal color. Around her waist, cloth of the same material as her robe reached down to her feet, covering part of her front. It took a few seconds for her to realize just who this was, since she had only seen her friend in her cursed, impish form.

"M-Midna?"


	30. A Legend Ends

The golden sunset seemed a fitting setting as they stood in the mirror chamber of the Arbiter's Grounds. It wasn't too hot thanks to the setting sun, but the heat was a bit unsettling for Danielle, who had never been in the desert before. Her gaze drifted to the Mirror of Twilight, the object that linked the worlds of light and shadow together. Its shards had caused so much trouble around the land, trouble that Link had been forced to remedy during his journey of collecting those fragments. And now, it was about to be used for Midna to return to her own world, the Realm of Twilight.

Danielle stood between the princess and the hero, Midna near the mirror as she glanced back at them. "Well… I guess this is farewell, huh? Light and shadow can't mix, as we all know. But… never forget that there's another world bound to this one."

Princess Zelda closed her eyes, speaking in a soft tone loud enough for them to hear. "Shadow and light are two sides of the same coin… One cannot exist without the other." As she opened her eyes once more, she turned her gaze now to that strange mirror. "I know now the reason the goddesses left the Mirror of Twilight in this world… They left it because it was their design that we should meet. Yes… that is what I believe."

"Heh." Midna allowed a slight smile. "Zelda… your words are kind and your heart is true. If all in Hyrule are like you… then maybe you'll do all right." She glanced now at Danielle, the shortest out of all of them there. Still favoring her shoulder, the scarred flesh seen beneath her bloodstained clothing was an unusual blend of lightly colored scar tissue and dark flash that was the same color as Midna's. "And you, Danielle… your bravery was unmatched. You may not have slain monsters like Link, but you are also a hero. Heh, I was wrong to judge you when I first saw you… I'm impressed. Don't let anyone think less of you because you're young, Danielle. You did what others would consider an impossible task."

"Yeah, but…" Danielle lowered her head, heaving out a heavy sigh. She still felt guilty over her uncle's death, even though she hadn't revealed what had happened to any of them. "I wasn't always successful. Sometimes, I failed pretty bad. I mean, I couldn't stop Blaine from getting hurt so badly, and I needed help to even free them. I couldn't do it myself."

Midna laid a hand on the young Hylian's shoulder, Danielle looking up to see Midna pretty much towering over her right now. "We're not always completely successful in all we do. And there's nothing wrong with having a little help from friends. You should be proud of what you've managed to accomplish. Besides, you were able to beat the odds by freeing them, and you even cheated death twice. Don't beat yourself up, and walk with your head held high." Pulling her hand away, she turned and approached the platform of strange white light that the mirror created, pausing somewhat. "Well, the princess spoke truly: as long as that mirror's around, we could meet again…" The Twilight Princess stepped onto the platform, turning to look back at them with a sad smile on her face. A single glittering tear trickled down. "Link… I…" She paused, searching for the words to speak as she took the tear in hand and sent it flying towards the mirror. "See you later…"

A loud cracking sound came from the mirror, Danielle looking sideways in shock as a spider web of cracks appeared across the entire surface. "Ah… Midna!" she shouted, going to take a step forward, but her sister held her back. With one last glance towards them, Midna smiled sadly before the mirror finished activating. Her whole body dissolved slowly into notes of white light that drifted back into the portal. When the very last bit of light was gone, the mirror shattered completely into sparkling pieces.

Danielle lowered her head now, sorrow wrenching at her heart. Now Midna was gone forever with the only link between the two worlds severed. Zelda's hand resting upon her back made her look up, the princess also having a sad glint in her eyes. "Let's go home, Danielle."

As Link and Zelda turned to leave, Danielle crouched to pick up one of the many tiny shards of the mirror that had once sat there. Staring at the tiny fragment in her palm, she reflected on the wise princess's words. Light and shadow were two sides of the same coin, as she had stated. The two worlds would always exist together… but would they ever be connected again? Perhaps there was a chance… somewhere in the future.

Closing her hand around the shard, she slipped it into her pocket and followed after Link and her sister as they began their journey home.

* * *

As they entered into town, night had fallen, and so only a few people were out and about with torches on the stone walls lighting the main thoroughfares. Those who were outside were often glancing towards the now-empty skyline, probably wondering if their liege had survived the castle's destruction and speculating about just what happened to the castle.

"Danielle!"

She lifted her head as the familiar voice of Shad shouted her name, the scholar pushing past a few bystanders on the western thoroughfare who ended up giving him nasty looks. He was immensely relieved to see her safe and sound, coming to a stop just in front of them. "Ah, you… look quite different now. Might I ask what happened?"

"It's a long story to tell, one I don't have time for just yet… but let's just say Link saved my life."

Shad was about to turn to the green-clad hero when he noticed Princess Zelda there, his eyes widening behind his spectacles. "Princess Zelda! You're safe!" He bowed quickly in respect, his words causing a stir among the people who were there as they realized that their ruler was safe and within the town. The townspeople quickly began to gather around, drawing curious citizens from the central plaza to come and investigate. They were all asking questions about what happened in the castle and where the princess had been all this time.

"Hey now!" a gruff voice called out. "Give the princess some room to breathe!"

Rurik's bulky form pushed through the crowds as the people parted to allow Cale, Rurik, Blaine, and Ashei through. Blaine was walking with Ashei's help, the human warrior supporting him as he limped heavily along, and his white flannel shirt hid the bandages that covered his chest from sight. Upon reaching the princess, Cale and Rurik knelt while Blaine just bowed his head. "Your highness," Cale spoke, his head down. "It is a relief to see you here safely."

"Thank you, Cale. You all may rise." As the two uninjured knights rose, Danielle noticed the glances that they gave her. She didn't doubt that they had found out about Greil's death, guilt and sorrow once more tearing at her heart. She couldn't face them now, not after what she had done… Did they despise her for taking his life? "What is the state of the town?" Zelda questioned, either not noticing the looks or not asking what happened. "Was anyone injured?"

Cale nodded slightly, turning his gaze towards the empty skyline. "A few, but we've been tending to the wounded. Thankfully, none were injured too badly by the falling debris. Apparently most of the castle was destroyed completely in the initial explosion except for a bit of the first level…"

As he continued on, Danielle took a few steps back and slipped off into the southwestern alley, passing by a trio of girls who gawked at Link. The hero himself glanced towards her, their gazes meeting, but he didn't try to stop her. Apparently the regret in her eyes and the fact that Greil was nowhere in sight explained things to Link. Lowering her head now, Danielle made her way towards Telma's bar. But instead of entering, she merely remained in the small alcove where the door to the bar resided. Leaning back against the cool stone, she rested her head against the wall and thought back on the whole day. It had been a hectic one, full of turbulent events and a whirlwind of emotions. In one day, she had lost her uncle, stared into the face of an evil tyrant, been manipulated to fight against her friends and sister, was nearly killed, and had to say goodbye to a friend forever.

She didn't fight the sudden sting of tears in her eyes that the thought of her uncle brought on. Finally, she was able to grieve, something she barely had time to during this whole ordeal. Ganondorf's capture of her and his arrival had cut short the process, but now she just wanted to let the sorrow burst forth. It hurt too much to hold it in any longer, and she hadn't wanted to break down crying in front of her family and everyone in the town. "I… I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" she whispered as if Greil could possibly hear her. "I had… no other choice. I couldn't let you kill Ashei." Danielle closed her eyes, letting the tears fall and heaving out a sigh as Ganondorf's taunting words echoed in her mind. "But… even with it being to protect someone… am I really a murderer?"

"Now who gave you such a silly idea?" Shad's voice questioned from nearby, startling Danielle. He was walking silently down the steps and towards the alcove, his face barely visible under the soft moonlight. "A murderer? Preposterous!"

"Uh, Shad…" Danielle tried to quickly wipe away the tears that stained her face, hoping he couldn't really see them while she took a shuddering breath. "I'm sorry, I guess… I'm just really upset still. I hate myself for killing him and breaking the promise I made to my brothers."

"Understandable, and I suppose you also worry if they are upset at you for doing so?" Danielle hesitated, and this was enough to affirm Shad's theory. "I won't lie and say they weren't upset, but it was not at you. If anything, they regretted not doing something to help. They were glad that you at least managed to keep more people than just Greil from dying…" He approached now, book tucked under his arm as he leaned against the wall beside her. "But what you did does not make you a murderer. You did what you could, Danielle. That's all anyone could ask for."

"I know, I know…" Sighing once more, Danielle just shook her head. "I just… I don't know. I feel weird, like… I don't even know what I'm feeling. It's one whole jumbled mess inside of me. And I wonder… if maybe I'm not as sad as I'm supposed to be. I just mostly feel kind of numb inside…" She stared down at her right hand, recalling the sight of Greil's lifeblood staining her palm. "I killed him with my own hands… and yet I'm not even a sobbing mess on the floor. I'm afraid… that maybe I hated him for what he did to Ashei's family… and for trying to kill all of you."

Much to her surprise, Shad's warm hand took her own, fingers gently intertwining. Danielle stared dumbfounded at their hands for a second before looking up at him. "Perhaps you aren't ready to grieve just yet. We all deal with loss in our own ways. But I do not believe you hated him. You were just doing what you could to protect your friends, and for that I am infinitely grateful."

Danielle paused, taking in his words. Maybe he wasn't the best at motivational speaking sometimes, but he was sincere and caring. Closing her eyes now, she wondered if he was right, that maybe she just wasn't ready to fully grieve yet. She had shed a few tears, yes… but she had been so focused on what had went on with Ganondorf and Midna leaving that it had been pushed to the back of her mind. Maybe in a few days…

She felt him gently squeeze her hand encouragingly, and she found her thoughts wandering once more, this time to the eccentric scholar who stood beside her. The simple act he had performed had cut through the sorrow, bringing hope and comfort. Perhaps the goddesses weren't playing some cruel prank on her after all with everything that happened… for they had allowed her to have joy after heartbreak.

Someone was descending the steps now, interrupting her thoughts as Shad's hand quickly slipped from hers. The person who approached was none other than Princess Zelda accompanied by her three closest royal knights and Ashei. Link had apparently already left. There was a rather humored glint in her eyes, the faintest traces of a smirk on her face. Had she noticed the two of them as they had stood there with hands intertwined?

"How fortunate that I found you here," Zelda spoke, smiling faintly. "We decided to discuss our next steps in this small tavern that your brothers frequent. Shad, Danielle, would you care to join us?"

"W-We would be honored, milady!" Shad responded with a hasty bow, Danielle quickly following suit and trying to fight back the embarrassment that crept into her. As the princess passed by, Danielle straightened up and followed her in, Shad directly behind her.

The darkness had been vanquished, and although the grand Hyrule Castle had been destroyed, it would be rebuilt anew, a testament of the will of the people. Time heals all wounds, even those that seemed deepest.

Perhaps everything would turn out all right after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so here it is, the end of the first story in my Guardian Saga. Next one, Shattered Peace, will have the old chapters posted on here as well while I work on the newer ones (finally). Hope you enjoyed!


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